From: root@umibox.hanse.de (Bernd Meyer) Subject: Re: Filesystems for people providing packets Date: Sat, 30 Jan 1993 14:17:59 GMT
kf8nh@kf8nh.wariat.org (Brandon S. Allbery) writes:
>root@umibox.hanse.de (Bernd Meyer) writes:
>> while names like "page-up-window" match the request "page-up-window.h" when
>> used on that fs, it is a nightmare for everybody using a fs with long names
>> to rename all the files with truncated names.
>Why do you need to rename files with short names? You don't want to do that
>anyway: if you do, you have to edit patch files to change the names of
>files to match your personal longnames mapping.
And if I don't, I have to change evey single Makefile and every single
configuration file that has the long names in it.
Just to clear the things up: I think the best solution is to program with
the shorter names. But if you just "port" a given program that makes use of
the long names, you should really have them. Your port may work on a
minix-fs, but it doesn't for efs or xfs. This is because the long names
still linger around in the Makefiles or elsewhere.
>> I would strongly suggest that you use efs or maybe xfs, because the problem
>> is not given the other way round - a long filename untarred into a minix-fs
>> will be shortened and still matched.
>Until it unpacks both "page_up_window.c" and "page_up_window.h" into the
>same directory, at which point the longnames-fs snobs are happy and the
>minix-fs types get the royal shaft. And since the minix FS is still the
>standard one, this is not a good idea at all.
Agreed. I had this happen with InterViews (gave a nice nested include,
argh). BUT: I don't ask everyone to program on efs or such, but to make sure
that your packet, when untarred on an efs, still works! If you have original
sources with the above two names, you'll go through hell to port it on a
minix fs.... Of course, you may just change the names, but please (PLEASE
PLEASE PLEASE) make sure it works on efs!!!!
>I doubt "thousands" of people run xiafs/extfs instead of minix fs.
Well, given the number of telephone calls I get which ask how to make a fs
bigger than 64M, I get the impression that about half of the linux users
have at least one efs somewhere - maybe not as the root-fs, but anyhow.
And with the growing of SLS and the advent of news (whichh introduces the
need for large /usr/spool/news-trees and long names for nn), I think the
number is rising...
Bernie
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