Date: Wed, 13 Dec 2000 20:57:16 +0200
From: "Eli Zaretskii" <eliz AT is DOT elta DOT co DOT il>
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To: gjs AT averstar DOT com
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CC: djgpp AT delorie DOT com
In-reply-to: <3A37A83C.F591E74B@averstar.com> (message from George Snyder on
	Wed, 13 Dec 2000 11:47:56 -0500)
Subject: Re: Current Directory Switches to Short Format on NT
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> Date: Wed, 13 Dec 2000 11:47:56 -0500
> From: George Snyder <gjs AT averstar DOT com>
> 
> I don't think a test case compiled with DJGPP would necessarily demonstrate the
> problem I described.  That is: after running a DJGPP program (such as ls.exe), the
> value of "current directory" in the NT environment has changed in such a way that
> *other programs* malfunction.  This makes it impractical to use the DJGPP tools in
> a DOS window or script where such an application may be invoked.

We cannot do anything about NT's misfeatures and in particular its
evident dislike of DOS programs.

There is a way to reconstruct the original long file name given its
8+3 alias (DJGPP has a library function _truename which does that).
Programs which depend on long names should call the OS service which
provides that.  If they don't, they will fail after any DOS program
which runs in the DOS box.

> In my case, the main application in question is Continuus/CM, a widely used
> configuration management system from Continuus Software Corporation.  It fails
> because it cannot find a project in its database which corresponds to the (short
> format) current directory name.  Granted, the application ought to make sure it has
> the long format directory name before looking it up; that's a bug.

Yes, that's a clear bug.

> If there is a way to prevent the NT environment's "current directory" setting from
> being changed by running a DJGPP program, that would be ideal.

I don't know of any.  If you find out, please tell.