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From: "Matt D." <codespunk@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, 13 Jan 2021 19:09:54 -0500
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Subject: Re: Native symbolic link behavior is broken and makes backups using
 Cygwin command line tools impossible
To: cygwin@cygwin.com
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On Tue, Jan 12, 2021 at 5:20 PM Andrey Repin <anrdaemon@yandex.ru> wrote:
>
> Again, the properties are read BY SYSTEM at the moment the link is created.
> In other words, Windows is unable to create a link to nonexistent
> (unreachable) target (not directly, at least).

This is false. Links can be created arbitrarily both at the Windows
command line using MKLINK and programmatically with the
CreateSymbolicLink function. The information about what type of link
to make during a copy operation can be read from the link being
copied. The target does not have to exist for a link to be created.