Subject: Re: Bug in od, cat, etc reading binary files
From: [email-masked] (Larry Hall)

30 Sep 1997 07:27:01 -0700
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To: [email-masked], [email-masked]

At 08:09 AM 9/29/97 -0600, [email-masked] wrote:
>However, I think that it is important that the aim of the project be set
>at some point so that people know where things are heading.  Currently, it
>looks to me that cygwin is trying to create its own isolated pocket of Unix
>like behaviour on top of a win32 environment.  Now this is fine for the
>intelectual challenge and all, but is this of any real use otherwise?  It
>seems to me that if you want a Unix environment and don't care about
>interacting with the rest of the NT/W95 environment, then why not just run
>Linux and get a real Unix environment that will run faster and have less
>compatibility problems?  If you are running NT/W95, you must be doing this
>for some reason, right?  Probably that there are things that run in this
>environment that are important as well as the Unix programs ported to the
>cygwin world.  If they are both important, shouldn't they be able to
>communicate with each other?

<snip>

>But for what reason?  If you can't use these things with the rest of the
>NT world, then what is the point?  Why not just run them in the Unix world
>where they are happier anyhow?

<snip>

>Yes, well, if the requirements are that you must run some Unix programs on
>NT without modification, then using cygwin32 and binary mounts may be the
>solution.  However, I believe that the problem may need to be reconsidered
>because without the additional requirement of interoperability with the NT
>world, why require that it run on NT in the first place?  Just for the
>fun of it?

Marcus,

I think allot of this has already been covered by others but let me just
say that I think you are arguing from a general standpoint while I and others
are thinking more of specifics.  We have found it useful to work in this
environment on NT.  We have been able to work around any "incompatibilities".
To be honest, your main concern seems to be the "incompatibility" of text vs
binary files.  Speaking from experience, I have not found many places where
working with binary files in a Windows environment has caused problems.  In
the few places that I have noticed this difficulty (most notably the limited
parsing capability of the MSDEV class wizard), it is easily handled by 
converting the file to text on demand.  Its really not much of a problem in
this direction.  Trying to work in Windows and gnu-win32 with only text files
is much worse!  As far as the argument about "why not just work in linux?",
it seems to me the answer is obvious. 

This whole argument seems somewhat repetitive and rehashed (perhaps
I've been on this list too long!;-))  Perhaps its best if any further 
discussion on this subject be taken off-line.  I'm not sure there is any
additional value to discussing well-understood desires and needs on this
list at this time....

Larry Hall                              [email-masked]
RFK Partners, Inc.                      (781) 239-1053
8 Grove Street                          (781) 239-1655 - FAX
Wellesley, MA  02181                             

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