X-Recipient: archive-cygwin AT delorie DOT com
X-SWARE-Spam-Status: No, hits=-0.2 required=5.0	tests=AWL,BAYES_50,DKIM_SIGNED,DKIM_VALID,DKIM_VALID_AU,FREEMAIL_FROM,RCVD_IN_DNSWL_NONE,T_TO_NO_BRKTS_FREEMAIL
X-Spam-Check-By: sourceware.org
MIME-Version: 1.0
In-Reply-To: <2BF01EB27B56CC478AD6E5A0A28931F20101D779@A1DAL1SWPES19MB.ams.acs-inc.net>
References: <loom DOT 20100611T000200-32 AT post DOT gmane DOT org>	<2BF01EB27B56CC478AD6E5A0A28931F20101D779 AT A1DAL1SWPES19MB DOT ams DOT acs-inc DOT net>
Date: Fri, 11 Jun 2010 11:46:11 -0600
Message-ID: <AANLkTinm5ntuzXN0p2MlB-rGj9EhbqXCnU0nv3RpK1kN@mail.gmail.com>
Subject: Re: 'cp' utility bug when &lt;dest-name&gt;.exe file exist.
From: Steven Collins <spc DOT for DOT nbc AT gmail DOT com>
To: cygwin AT cygwin DOT com
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
X-IsSubscribed: yes
Mailing-List: contact cygwin-help AT cygwin DOT com; run by ezmlm
Precedence: bulk
List-Id: <cygwin.cygwin.com>
List-Unsubscribe: <mailto:cygwin-unsubscribe-archive-cygwin=delorie DOT com AT cygwin DOT com>
List-Subscribe: <mailto:cygwin-subscribe AT cygwin DOT com>
List-Archive: <http://sourceware.org/ml/cygwin/>
List-Post: <mailto:cygwin AT cygwin DOT com>
List-Help: <mailto:cygwin-help AT cygwin DOT com>, <http://sourceware.org/ml/#faqs>
Sender: cygwin-owner AT cygwin DOT com
Mail-Followup-To: cygwin AT cygwin DOT com
Delivered-To: mailing list cygwin AT cygwin DOT com

On Fri, Jun 11, 2010 at 08:38, Nellis, Kenneth
<Kenneth DOT Nellis AT acs-inc DOT com> wrote:
> Perhaps it's worth considering adding a CYGWIN environment
> variable option, e.g., exe_magic, and deliberately evolve
> the code base towards checking this setting before invoking
> exe magic. I, for one, never run my binaries in the Windows
> environment, so exe magic has no benefit and numerous
> disadvantages. The new option would default to ON, and
> individual users could change their setting to OFF as the
> evolution progresses to their satisfaction.
>
> --Ken Nellis
>

If any traction can be gained on actually making this change I think
this is a very reasonable way to proceed. Based on previous comments
it is almost certain that early attempts at making this type of change
will introduce breakage. Having an environment variable (maybe not
CYGWIN) that must be set to a specific value to enable the new
behavior would provide an escape hatch when such breakage is
encountered by allowing a person to unset the variable and getting
back the original behavior. The one potential down-side I see to this
idea is what cost would be incurred by having to check the state of an
environment variable every place that currently has exe magic?

Steven Collins

--
Problem reports:       http://cygwin.com/problems.html
FAQ:                   http://cygwin.com/faq/
Documentation:         http://cygwin.com/docs.html
Unsubscribe info:      http://cygwin.com/ml/#unsubscribe-simple