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RE: 'cp' utility bug when <dest-name>.exe file exist.


> From: Larry Hall (Cygwin)
> Sent: Friday, June 11, 2010 14:01
> To: cygwin@cygwin.com
> Subject: Re: 'cp' utility bug when &lt;dest-name&gt;.exe file exist.
> 
> On 6/11/2010 1:46 PM, Steven Collins wrote:
> > On Fri, Jun 11, 2010 at 08:38, Nellis, Kenneth 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.
> >
> > 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?
> 
> It was done before on the way to where we are now:
> 
> <http://cygwin.com/cygwin-ug-net/using-cygwinenv.html#cygwinenv-removed-options>
> 
> See "(no)transparent_exe".  But there's really no point in making arguments
> about how to fine-tune an implementation when the implementation itself has
> been likened to a theoretical snowball spending the summer in hell.
> 
> --
> Larry Hall                              http://www.rfk.com
> RFK Partners, Inc.                      (508) 893-9779 - RFK Office
> 216 Dalton Rd.                          (508) 893-9889 - FAX
> Holliston, MA 01746
...

The link refers us to the "(no)transparent_exe" CYGWIN option with 
the following explanation:

    This option has been removed because the behaviour it 
    switched on is now the standard behaviour in Cygwin.

This seems to presume that the new (with 1.7) "standard" behavior 
is what everyone wanted, which now seems to be in dispute. To me, 
it seems like a good option to retain.

--Ken Nellis

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