Re: [RFA/libiberty] Darwin has case-insensitive filesystems

[Robert Dewar <dewar at adacore dot com>]

On 6/15/2011 5:58 AM, Mark Kettenis wrote:

> Over my dead body.  On a proper operating system filenames are
> case-sensitive.  Your suggestion would create spurious matches.

Yes, we all know that Unix systems chose case sensitive, and
are happy to have files differing only by case in the same
directory.

Obviously any proper software has to fully support such
systems (if I was in the same mode as you and adding
gratuitious flames to my comments, I would have
preceded the word systems by brain-dead).
> Even on case-preserving filesystems I'd argue that treating them as
> case-sensitive is still the right approach.

Absolutely not, please don't visit your unix-borne predjudices
on non-unix systems. There is nothing worse for Windows users
than having to put up with silly decisions like this that
visit unix nonsense (and it is nonsense in a windows environment)
on windows software.

> If that creates problems,
> it means somebody was sloppy and didn't type the proper name of the
> file

The whole point in a system like Windows which is case preserving
but not case sensitive is that you are NOT expected to type in
the "proper" capitalization. In English, we recognize the words
English and ENGLISH as equivalent, and windows users expect the
same treatment.

So the normal expectation in windows systems is that, yes, you can
make nice capitalization like MyFile if you like, and it will be
properly displayed.

But any software that requires me to type MyFile rather than
myfile is junk!

> If you're still using an operating system with fully case-insensitive
> filesystems, I feel very, very sorry for you.

You are allowed to have this opinion, I feel the same about people
who have to tolerate case-sensitive file systems, but I am quite
happy with software for Unix systems fully behaving (I would agree
that any software that EVER did case insensitive matching, as
suggested earlier in this thread would be broken on Unix). But
following your suggestion would be equally broken in Windows.

>  or some piece of code in the toolchain arbitrarily changed the
> case of a filename.  I don't mind punishing people for that.  They
> have to learn that on a proper operating system file names are
> case-sensitive!

This kind of unix arrogance leads to junk unusable software on
windows. It's really important not to visit your unix predjudices
on windows users. After all we feel the same way in return, I
find Unix systems complete junk for many reasons, one of which
is the very annoying case sensitive viewpoint, but I do not
translate my feelings into silly suggestions for making
software malfunction on Unix. You should not make this mistake
in a reverse direction.