Re: Directory Names (was: GNAT on a multiboot computer)

["Warren W. Gay VE3WWG" <ve3wwg@NoSPAM.cogeco.ca>]

Hyman Rosen wrote:

> Martin Krischik wrote:
> 
>> Well, would you install Windows anywhere else? Honestly, there are 
>> *to* many
>> stupid programs around which have serious problems when Windows is 
>> anywhere
>> else then C:\Windows that it never crosses my mind to use anything else
>> then C:.
> 
> I still maintain that the best favor Microsoft ever did for programs
> (if not programmers) was to make the default installation directory
> for programs be '\Program Files' on the root drive. That finally made
> everyone deal properly with blanks in file and directory names, on
> pain of looking ridiculous otherwise. Blanks had been permitted in
> names for a long time, both in Windows and Unix, but most programs
> handled them very badly.

How far do you want to take that argument? You can put
semicolons in directory names too (Windows). But then, how will that
work with the Windows PATH variable? Good luck making that work!

The same thing happens in UNIX: You can put colons in directory
names, but this is guaranteed to give you trouble in the shell's
PATH variable.

So it still comes down to conventions and "practical use".

While I always believe in writing robust shell scripts, I still
loath blanks in directory names. C:\Programs would have
been sufficient in Windows IMHO.

-- 
Warren W. Gay VE3WWG
http://home.cogeco.ca/~ve3wwg