RE: [boost] Re: candidate for library, "sysutils"

From: Michiel Salters (Michiel.Salters_at_[hidden])
Date: 2001-03-28 07:15:38

> Just a few examples for different OS...
> 1. absolute file names:
> 
>  		host	volume	directories	base	ext	vers
> 		------- ------- --------------- ------- ------- ------
> 
>  UNIX				/dir1/dir2/	file	.ext	
>  DOS OS/2 NT	A:	\dir1\dir1\	file	.ext
>  MAC			volume:	dir1:dir2:	file	.ext
>  VMS		host::	volume:	[dir1.dir2]	file	.ext	;vers

Making that complete for WNT: ( What, imitating VMS ? )

NT		\\host\	A$	\dir1\dir2	file	.ext	:vers

BTW Unix doesn't have extensions. '.' just happens to be a legal
and common character in a filename. Which incidentally gets us
to the next level of unportability: file attributes & rights. Which begs
the question, making e.g. a file::set_read_only(bool) function
optional allows programs to be portable from WinNT to UNIX but
not everywhere. Is that a gain or a loss?

Michiel Salters