Trouble killing processes in SysV/AT

[David Goodenough]

>From article <81 at dcs.UUCP>, by wnp at dcs.UUCP (Wolf N. Paul):
]In article <216 at obie.UUCP> wes at obie.UUCP (Barnacle Wes) writes:
]>In article <Apr.29.21.45.24.1988.6900 at athos.rutgers.edu>, hedrick at athos.rutgers.edu (Charles Hedrick) writes:
]>| You ask about processes that refuse to die.  (Calling them "immortal"
]>| confers a positive aura that is probably undeserved.  Normally these
]>| processes are in a useless state, and might better be referred to as
]>| members of the "undead".)
]>
]>The canonical term for such a process is "zombie."
]
]I always thought that "zombies" refers to dead processes which have not
]been waited for, rather than processes which refuse to die ?!?

Singularly appropriate: sort of conjures up images of processes stumbling
round the kernel, with eyes closed, dropping bits of code (read flesh) off
at every step - just like the stereotype zombie in a "B" horror movie :-)

P.S. In response to all those that replied to my questions Re: <defunct>
processes, I discover the solution is simple. After every fclose(fp), where
fp is the FILE * I got from popen, I do a wait(&j), and the zombies go away.
Just like sprinkling holy water on them :-). Thanks to all who replied.
-- 
	dg at lakart.UUCP - David Goodenough		+---+
							| +-+-+
	....... !harvard!adelie!cfisun!lakart!dg	+-+-+ |
						  	  +---+