Date: Fri, 30 May 1997 06:12:20 -0400 (EDT) From: "Mike A. Harris" Reply-To: "Mike A. Harris" To: Steven Ehrbar cc: opendos AT delorie DOT com Subject: Re: cAsE sensitivity In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Organization: Total disorganization. MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII Precedence: bulk On Thu, 29 May 1997, Steven Ehrbar wrote: > > > This might sound silly, but why not set up the system so that it first > > > checks for the filename in the case you typed it, and if that fails > goes to > > > the first name in that directory FAT that matches case-insensitively? > > > The old version in \ASDF is deleted. I then forget all about the > > whole thing and use the new asdf for a couple weeks. One day, I > > decide to clean up my hard drive because I'm running out of space > > so I go looking for things to delete. Then it occurs to me that > > I had an old copy of asdf laying around in the \ASDF directory. > > Did I delete it allready? Hmmm, I'm not sure so I'll just delete > > it again and be sure: > > > > DELTREE \ASDF > > > > The heuristics engine can't find \ASDF so it looks for other > > filenames with the same letters in different case, then it > > deltrees \asdf and I no longer have my asdf program. > > > > No thanks. > > So you throw a confirm into the delete and deltree commands that warns you > when you're violating case and gives you the option to back out, similar to > the "del *.*" confirms. So then the user sophisticated enough to properly > use case-sensitive file names runs a "dir" to see what's going on, and the > others suffer the same fate as unsophisticated "del *.*" users. If you throw a confirm into it, you could still accidentally hit enter and toast something, only then realizing and being unable to stop it. Also, what happens in a batch file? For example: @ECHO OFF DELTREE \ASDF In this case, the batch file may need to be ran unattended, such as on a BBS, or something. A batchfile that hangs expecting user input could bring down the BBS, or cause countless other problems. > > > And, of course, make the whole thing (whether you want total case > > > insensitivity, simple case retention prohibiting case-differntiated > files, > > > or full case sensitivity which allows case-differentiated files) an > OPTION > > > in the config.sys file -- maybe even a per-filesystem or even a > > > per-partition option. > > > > As it stands with operating systems we currently have enough > > problems to worry about rather than implementing a bunch of new > > convoluted systems. > > > 1) Case insensitive: DOS/VMS > > 2) Case insensitive stored case: VFAT/NTFS/HPFS > > 3) Case sensitive: ext2/minix/other unix FS's > > At the time I wrote that (literally /weeks/ ago!) nobody (at least on the > non-developer list) was talking about limiting case sensitivity to non-FAT > file systems. Accordingly, my config.sys proposal was primarily dealing > with a modified FAT system, and was modeled after the options in the > config.sys for OS/2 for ext2fsOS/2. Well, we *have* talked about leaving FAT the way it is though. Any improvements/changes would be a SEPARATE filesystem, perhaps *based* on FAT (I can't think of a single good reason why though). What is ext2fsOS/2? > And people who edit a config.sys file without knowing what they're doing > deserve trouble, while people who do know there might be filename conflicts > when they switch from sensitive to an insensitive option and will be > prepared to deal with it. My proposed IQ test would circumvent someone from choosing options that could cause problems. :o) Mike A. Harris | http://blackwidow.saultc.on.ca/~mharris Computer Consultant | Coming soon: dynamic-IP-freedom... My dynamic address: http://blackwidow.saultc.on.ca/~mharris/ip-address.html Email: mharris at blackwidow.saultc.on.ca <-- Spam proof address URL: Sun Microsystems http://www.sun.com