Re: native symlink

[Christopher Faylor <cgf-use-the-mailinglist-please@cygwin.com>]

On Mon, Apr 01, 2013 at 12:24:51PM -0700, James Gregurich wrote:
>On Mar 27, 2013, at 3:41 PM, Larry Hall wrote:
>>On 3/27/2013 5:53 PM, James Gregurich wrote:
>>>Why don't you add an API call and utility to actually convert an
>>>existing > cygwin symlink into a native symlink.  I'll give you code
>>>that does the work.  Cygwin already reads and uses the native symlinks.
>>>you might as well provide a way to create them.
>>
>>The main list is really the right place to make Cygwin feature
>>requests.
>
>I'm using this list because this is where I found the original debate
>on the subject.  I wanted to add my voice.
>
>
>>Patches to the DLL can go to cygwin-patches.  Other code can go to the
>>main list as well.
>>
>>As for why this hasn't been done before, some of it is just no one has
>>done it.
>
>I have.  I am actively using a version of cygwin with a modified DLL
>that implements use of native symlinks.  I've previously described the
>work I've done.  I've offered up my code.  I never really got rational,
>technical reasons for why such support was a bad idea.

If you're referring to this:
http://sourceware.org/ml/cygwin-developers/2012-12/msg00000.html

Then I did respond later in the thread.  So, please don't claim that
I'm irrational or nontechnical.

To summarize my objection:  It doesn't sound like the native symlink
can be made to completely emulate a Linux symlink.  That has always
been the problem with Windows symlinks.

>What I am lobbying for...

As Larry indicated, this is not the mailing list for "lobbying" however,
to save you the trouble of moving to the cygwin mailing list:  As I
(and Corinna) have said before, I'd rather not complicate the
labyrinthian path handling code by introducing a new API.  I don't
really see why one would be needed.

However, if you think it's a great idea to have a utility which does
stuff to and with native symlinks then that's something that you could
write yourself and propose to be included in the Cygwin distribution.
That would be something you could discuss in the cygwin mailing list
and, ultimately, the cygwin-apps mailing list.

cgf