Re: Case sensitivity

Simon Taylor <simontaylor1-XZoyATsUNX5Wk0Htik3J/[email protected]> wrote:
 ...
> I would expect jobapplication.doc to contain the same
> stuff as JobApplication.doc, it just seems more natural
> that way.

You can think of BFS's case-sensitivity as "case-preserving".
Without it you'd get all UPPER or all lower or fake Initial caps 
names. (Windows, anyone?)

It's probably doable to make BFS case-preserving AND
case-insensitive, (I think MacOS X is both, with HFS+)
but I have to join the why?-camp.

Some level of case-insensitivity can be (and is) implemented in 
parts of the OS closer to the user, such as Tracker's Find panel.

(Filetypes and application signatures are also treated in a 
case-insensitive way. BTW, please always use lowercase
for all mimetypes. No more application/x-vnd.MyNoodle.)

If you want a more strict policy, Tracker can be modified to not
allow creating filenames that differ only in upper/lower case, 
in the various parts of the code dealing with (re-)naming files, 
copying or moving files, or creating files.

This way you limit the user from messing up, case-wise.
Applications, however, including unzippers and the dark side
of the command-line would be free to create "conflicting" files,
so it would be purely cosmetic. (Unless real case-insensitivity
is implemented in BFS itself. Which I'd rather not.)

Jonas. // kirilla



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