Re: [avr-chat] Re: WinAvr 2005... compile problems

[Bas Laarhoven]

Chuck Hackett wrote:

> > From: Jeff Barlow
> >
> > "E. Weddington" <address@hidden>  wrote:
> >
> >    
> >
> > > I would like to hear *thoughtful* opinions about this subject.
> > >      
> > Okay, I'll try.
> >
> > First a simple fact: 'A' is not equal to 'a'. You ignore that at your 
> > peril.
> >    
>
> If you're running on a Windows system it 'A' IS equal to 'a', at least as far as
> the file system is concerned.
>
>  
>
> > ....
> > Make is a Unix creature and was designed to work in an environment 
> > that used the full 7 bit ASCII code set. The world is full of make 
> > files that rely on that fact.
> > ....
> >    
>
> If you only want to write products for Unix flavor systems that's fine, but,
> again, if you rely on the fact that "MySource.c" is distinct from "MySource.C"
> in an embedded processor product you won't be able to compile it on a Windows
> system ...
>
> If you were to publish a library for C programs named "GreatLib.c" and another
> version in the same release directory called "GreatLib.C" for C++ programs you
> would not be able to sell it to Windows users.  Do you really want to cut
> yourself off from that market?
Having developed and ported software for many years (Yes, I have used
RADIX50 ;-) ) and on all kinds of OS'es, I have to react.

IMHO This discussion shouldn't be about *nix versus windows but about 
portability.

Counter example:
Some time ago I had to port a commecial graphics package being sold for
use with LCD's on embedded systems.
It was obviously developped on a case-insensitive system: Once put on the
target's (case-sensitive) filesystem it wouldn't build at all. The 
makers been
sloppy with the filenames at several places, and that wasn't detected 
because
of the case-insensitive filesystem.
Renaming the files wasn't an option, because one file included "option.h",
another "Option.h", and guess what, the real filename was "option.H".
If not handled carefully, this can become a maintenance nightmare:
Are you going to change the sources and/or the filenames ? Imagine the
work when an upgrade needs to be installed!

So if you mean 'a', please say so. And if you accidentally type 'A' instead
of it, be glad if the filesystem or tools detect this error.
In my experience, relying on this 'feature' will bite one sooner or later!

Just my 2 cents,
Bas Laarhoven

> Cheers,
>
> Chuck Hackett
> "Good judgment comes from experience, experience comes from bad judgment"
> 7.5" gauge Union Pacific Northern (4-8-4) 844 http://www.whitetrout.net/Chuck
>
>
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> AVR-chat mailing list
> address@hidden
> http://lists.nongnu.org/mailman/listinfo/avr-chat
>
>
>