From: Kellie Miller <jkelliemiller@...>
Date: 2005-12-31T02:20:41+09:00
Subject: Re: Path Separator and Windows

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On 12/29/05, Bob Showalter <bob_showalter@taylorwhite.com> wrote:
>
> Justin Johnson wrote:
> > Is there a reason File::SEPARATOR isn't set to \ to begin with for
> > Windows?  Even if the Windows API accepts a /, \ is standard for the
> > Windows command line and executing commands with / in paths passed as
> > args fails.  Of course I can just do my own substitutions, but it seems
> > like this could be improved.
>
> I'm not sure why it works the way it does; perhaps Matz will weigh in.
> If you look at the source (file.c), the whole business is really quite
> messy.
>
> How did DOS (and then Windows) ever decide to use backslash I wonder?


To show my age :-), I think the reason is historic.  The original DOS file
system was stolen from CP/M. CP/M stole much of it's syntax from DEC
operating systems (RT-11 I think). In DEC operating systems, the '/'
character was used to introduce a switch.

And a pox on "drive letters" while we're at it! :-)


Drive letters were also a hold over from DEC operating systems. I am not
really criticizing the DEC operating systems. They were way ahead of the
rest of the systems of there time until Unix arrived and changed the world.

The Unix approach seems so much more logical to me...
>
>
As I said, Unix changed EVERYTHING.

cheers,
Kellie

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