The aim of this paper is to show that a straightforward generalization of the classical system calls for dealing with Input/Output (I/O) from files and devices can also be used as an efficient and general inter-process communication (IPC) mechanism. Operating system designers therefore need not add special system calls dedicated to IPC, but need only generalize existing I/O mechanisms.
A great many papers dealing with IPC have already been published, and many have influenced the ideas expounded here. This paper, however, is not a report on IPC research, but an explanation and defense of the above claim only. Consequently no references will be made to the literature and no attempt will be made to sort out which researcher should get credit for proposing what. References to quite a few applicable papers can be found in [1].
Prof Herman Venter