[Proposal] OS specific interface modules; common system interface module

[Josh Marshall]

You may skip the reading, but I am continuing from a forum discussion here: https://elixirforum.com/t/thoughts-on-extending-system-to-recover-from-incomplete-info-and-use-fallback-sources-using-file-stat/61980

I noticed a gap in support in Elixir related to OS related modules when working on my personal website.  There was not a way to go from a `File.Stat.uid` to the file owner's full name in what I would consider a succinct and general fashion.  One diatribe later, and a few of us were able to articulate a possible solution in the forum.

Moving past this one function of looking up a full username for the owner of a file, there's a category of missing functionality and an audience of programmers Elixir is inaccessible to: IT and Systems.  As a foundation, Apple, BSD/Linux, and Windows need top level modules to represent functionality of those systems.  On top of those modules, a common set of interface modules for OS agnostic operations would greatly improve ease of implementation for users.

These modules would doubtless be large and take time to develop, but would open up Elixir to a new audience.  However, is the core language the right place for them?  Are there obvious bits we missed in the forum thread?

[José Valim]

The low-level integration bits are part of Erlang. If this functionality exists in Erlang today, we could surface it up, but I am afraid it doesn't right now. I believe there is a plan to provide more file system bindings there in the future, but there is no precise schedule.

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