UNC and POSIX paths

Václav Zeman vhaisman@gmail.com
Tue Jun 18 06:52:00 GMT 2013


On 06/18/2013 08:20 AM, Fedin Pavel wrote:
>  Hello!
> 
>> Because some scripts try to use
>>
>> $(DESTDIR)/$(PREFIX)
>>
>> rather than
>>
>> $(DESTDIR)$(PREFIX)
> 
>  Yes, exactly, this is what i have got.
>  I start to have these problems when i try to do non-standard things like
> cross-compiling Linux kernel and some 3rd party modules. :)
>  Ability to run 'make install_modules' requires /sbin/depmod. With hardcoded
> /sbin path. So, i have to cross-compile module-init-tools with '--prefix=/'.
> This is the first place where i get '//'. Well, perhaps i'm lame and
> '--prefix=' is the correct thing, not what i write. However i just followed
> the tradition here
>  Next, module-init-tools relies on either 'docbook2man' or 'docbook-to-man'.
> I guess both packages are considered obsolete by Cygwin, we have
> 'docbook2x-man' instead. So, i have to build one of those two packages.
> $(DESTDIR)/$(PREFIX) is found in the first one.
>  Well, perhaps irrelevant because it fails to build with new awk (or
> something like that, already don't remember). So i have found (ancient)
> docbook-to-man and built it. Works.
Does replacing "/" with "/." help or does it not help? I cannot test
this right now.


> 
>  Also i remember getting this little problem somewhere else in the past.
> Already don't remember...
> 
>  Now my last arguments...
>  First. Actually, we may consider this as kind of interoperability problem.
> Technically it's possible to fix this at either side. However, let's say we
> have three packages suffering from this problem. So, it's possible to do
> either three fixes (for packages), or a single fix (for Cygwin). A single
> fix is less time-consuming. Especially taking into account that a half of us
> uses Cygwin at work, where we have other tasks to do.
>  Second, if we take a look at real-world POSIX systems (Linux, BSD, whatever
> else), they don't use '//' for network paths. Instead they use mountable
> filesystems. And Cygwin's goal is to fully implement UNIX-compatible
> environment, isn't it ? So, consequently, having a mount point would me more
> compatible with other real-world systems.
>  Third, package's author can say: 'nobody else has this problem, so it's
> Cygwin's bug, not mine, i won't fix'. Or he can simply blindly hate Windows.
> My another topic (cross-compiling Linux kerne) contains an example of such
> an attitude.
>  And, i agree, '//' is shorter to type than '/unc/'. :) And perhaps someone
> already relies on '//' in his scripts for his installation.
> 
>  To sum things up, this was just an opinion. I didn't want to start a war.
> :)

-- 
VZ



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