Re: Long filenames in DOS/Windows and Unix/Linux

On Sat, 31 Aug 2024 09:27:44 +0100
Richard Kettlewell <invalid@invalid.invalid> gabbled:

gazelle@shell.xmission.com (Kenny McCormack) writes:

    2) Spaces in filenames are pretty much a necessity from the end-user
POV (but see below).  Yes, it makes things hard for us on the admin
side of the game.

>
I think the thing that makes it hard is not the spaces as such, but the
tooling that makes it inconvenient to handle them, which primarily means
Bourne shell parsing rules. The problem basically ceases to exist once
you’re outside the shell ecosystem.
>
The rest of Unix has evolved substantially since the 1970s but shell is
still stuck in this particular trap. It’s like we’re still making making
arrowheads out of flint but everything else from steel.
>

When parsing is based around words on a line how else exactly would you expect
it to be done? Every language tokenises based in seperators so unless you
expect the shell to automagically figure out when a filename ends and the next
part of the command begins then I would suggest using quotes is a solution
thats worked for decades and works fine.