Case sensitivity in filenames

[Bernard Dautrevaux]

> -----Message d'origine-----
> De:	cgf@cygnus.com [SMTP:cgf@cygnus.com]
> Date:	Friday, January 08, 1999 17:06
> À:	gnu-win32@cygnus.com
> Objet:	Re: Case sensitivity in filenames
> 
> In article
> <19990108162522.12567.cygnus.gnu-win32@mundook.cs.mu.OZ.AU>,
> Fergus Henderson <fjh@cs.mu.OZ.AU> wrote:
> >I agree with this.  The default behaviour should be as Unix-like as
> >possible.  However, don't forget that the goal is *porting* Unix
> tools.
> >A proper port to Windows will be case-insensitive as far as
> file-names
> >are concerned, because that is what Windows users expect.  Therefore,
> >there should be a simple way of enabling case-insensitivity.
> 
> If someone wants to donate a patch to enable this "simple way" of
> enabling
> case sensitivity, I'll be happy to get it into the sources ASAP.
> 
> Unfortunately, the point that seems to be consistently missed is that
> this isn't just a simple "just fix cygwin" solution.  There are many
> tools which use their own version of glob or regexp or whatever.  Each
> one of these has to be modified.
> 
OK, so if that's the case ;-(, the minimum, that do not cost anything,
could be to define and document a way to say that we want case
insesitive globbing of regexping of file names, so that we do not have
different environment variables or options for each tools that finally
handle this. I would like not to have a bunch of environment variables
named LS_DOS_LIKE, BASH_IGLOB, FIND_DEFAULT_INAME, etc or having to use
special options to any tool, when some globally IMPOSED environmant
variable could be used by anybody...

Of course we are talking of free software, so enforcing something may
seem silly, but software could only be successful if its features are
coherent and as uniform as possible... 

I would favour some environment variable like GLOB_MODE=(unix,windows),
with the default being unix (for unix compatibility) that could be
tested by any tool using glob or regexp on filenames to select how to
match file names. These tools could also profitably allow some option to
change the default set by GLOB_MODE (or any better named environment
variable); for example find has "-name" that will use the default set by
GLOB_MODE, "-iname" which allways use case-independant globbing and
could aslo have "-dname" (d for dependant) for case-dependant globbing.

I do not say we must DO the work for all utilities NOW, just that it
seems a good moment to DEFINE how people can do it later on and submit
patches that can be integrated simply.

Just my few pence...

Regards,

	Bernard

------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Bernard Dautrevaux
Microprocess Ingéniérie
97 bis, rue de Colombes
92400 COURBEVOIE
FRANCE
Tel:	+33 (0) 1 47 68 80 80
Fax:	+33 (0) 1 47 88 97 85
e-mail:	dautrevaux@microprocess.com
	b.dautrevaux@usa.net
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