igp@camcon.uucp (Ian Phillipps) (06/01/88)
From article <1238@bingvaxu.cc.binghamton.edu>, by sullivan@marge.math.binghamton.edu (fred sullivan): > Some time ago someone complained about having to use "\" in MSDOS > pathnames. I just submitted to comp.binaries.ibm.pc a program to > fix this. Beware! If this uses the "Switchar" system call (which has been in some but not all MSDOS docs) you can break some system programs. In particular, I found that it broke "restore", which couldn't restore files saved when the switchar was changed to '-'. (very old info - PCDOS 2.0 - but many other programs might break less disasterously). PS - does ANYONE know of a program (other than COMMAND.COM) which takes any notice of the Date and Currency format codes in MSDOS? I'm fed up with using programs that insist on the Brain-damaged US format for dates. You know, the one that gives 456 + 456 = 903. -- UUCP: ...!ukc!camcon!igp | Cambridge Consultants Ltd | Ian Phillipps or: igp@camcon.uucp | Science Park, Milton Road |----------------- Phone: +44 223 358855 | Cambridge CB4 4DW, England |
sullivan@marge.math.binghamton.edu (fred sullivan) (06/04/88)
In article <1548@titan.camcon.uucp> igp@camcon.uucp (Ian Phillipps) writes: >From article <1238@bingvaxu.cc.binghamton.edu>, by sullivan@marge.math.binghamton.edu (fred sullivan): >> Some time ago someone complained about having to use "\" in MSDOS >> pathnames. I just submitted to comp.binaries.ibm.pc a program to >> fix this. > >Beware! If this uses the "Switchar" system call (which has been in some but >not all MSDOS docs) you can break some system programs. >In particular, I found that it broke "restore", which couldn't restore files >saved when the switchar was changed to '-'. >(very old info - PCDOS 2.0 - but many other programs might break less >disasterously). > A few weeks ago I repartitioned my hard disk. I backed up 10 meg worth (using msdos 3.2 backup), about half of which was put on the disk before I started using switchar, and about half of which was put on the disk after using switchar. After repartitioning, I restored everything (using msdos 3.2 restore). No problem. I can suggest a possible problem, though. If a command.com is started with switchar = '-', then foreslashes show up in the current directory. E.g. c:/usr\tools. Perhaps old versions of backup store paths like this. Not the msdos 3.2 version though. Everything gets done with \ on backup disk. If anyone has specific details of backup breaking, I would like to hear about it. Setting switchar to something other than "/" does break norton utilities. (Only while it is in effect.) I have seen no ill effects. The benefits to my fingers far outweigh any inconvenience caused by having to reset the switch character for a few badly written programs. Fred Sullivan SUNY at Binghamton Dept. Math. Sciences Binghamton, NY 13903 sullivan@marge.math.binghamton.edu First you make a roux!