Maintaining records iwas far from unheard of at the time networking showed up in UNIX. Think about how the UNIX tape driver works.

To give an example of what one other operating system means by records, I point you in the direction of: http://www.conceptsolutionsbc.com/mvs-articles/197-mvs-file-system "Windows and *NIX file systems are based on hierarchical directory structure. Basically, you have one root directory and you can create directories (sometimes called folders) or files under that root directory. Mainframe disk files are very different to this hierarchical approach." "MVS datasets always have record lengths. MVS access methods read and write records in physical blocks. A block is made up of one or more logical record. This diagram shows the block sizes and difference between fixed block and variable block data sets. The access method is responsible for splitting the block into logical records and passing the record to the program. Although a program can handle breaking the blocks into logical records, this task is normally done by the access method. A record length can be fixed or variable." If you're familiar with the Network and Hierarchical Database systems from practical experience or from working through non-relational dbms books, this all looks very familiar. Essentially such file systems are hierarchical dbmses. As should be expected from MVS's derivation from batch systems. I don't know anything about the DEC VAX VMS file system. I was meaning to learn a few years ago, but other things happened ... FWVLIW Wesley Parish Quoting Larry McVoy <lm(a)mcvoy.com>: "I have supposed that he who buys a Method means to learn it." - Ferdinand Sor, Method for Guitar "A verbal contract isn't worth the paper it's written on." -- Samuel Goldwyn