Re: [Gnu-arch-users] Re: arch on windows?

[Ron Parker]

On Wed, 14 Jul 2004 12:58:58 -0500, John Meinel <address@hidden> wrote:

> I'm wondering if we just switched to
> c/b/v/p-nn and
> c/v/p-nn
> If there would be a lot of problem? If I have to give a special case
> (such as =null), then we might as well make the special case be the
> truly empty directory. IIRC, branches can't have a '.' in them, and
> versions can't have anything but [0-9.] in them. And when I just tried
> it wouldn't let me create cat--0--0, I'm guessing there is a restriction
> on branches that forces them to have a letter.
> So c/b/v/p-nn should be trivially separable from c/v/p-nn.

(I apologize in advance, I have no idea how gmail will mangle this post.)

I am working on a much longer message WRT various ways of dealing with
a small PATH_MAX. But here is a snippet related to this:

**  Category-Branch-Version-Revision Reduction

***  Pros

This retains much of the semantic information within the file names and paths.

And has the potential to reduce the 358-character:

/home/rdparker/tla-1.3/++saved.src.1089815347.15624.1/{arch}/++pristine-trees/unlocked/package-framework/package-framework--devo/package-framework--devo--1.0/address@hidden/package-framework--devo--1.0--patch-5/{arch}/package-framework/package-framework--patch-detection/package-framework--patch-detection--1.0/address@hidden/patch-log/patch-2

to a 229-character:

/home/rdparker/tla-1.3/++saved.src.1089815347.15624.1/{arch}/++pristine-trees/unlocked/package-framework/devo/1.0/address@hidden/patch-5/{arch}/package-framework/patch-detection/1.0/address@hidden/patch-log/patch-2

***  Cons

It breaks upward compatibility if implemented universally.

Tom has historically resisted this as a solution for merging into his
devo branch.

It does lose semantic information when viewing a directory in
isolation.  (Think the vi or emacs directory viewers or shell prompts
with the last fragment of the current-working-directory displayed.) 
Granted IMO this is primarily an issue for arch developers.  But I
include myself marginally in that category.

It may still be possible with long category, branch or archive names
to reach the limit.  This could also be done using a relatively deep
base directory for the working directory, "C:\Documents and
Settings\username\My Documents" not being unheard of on Windows.