weisen@eniac.seas.upenn.edu (Neil Weisenfeld) (08/11/90)
Is there any way that we can get rid of the arg/env list too long problem. I'm assuming that other people have had this problem. On both of the machines that I tried ms_sh and the utilities on, trying a command like: "ls *" (no quotes) would almost always end in the program exiting with an error like "c:/unixbin/ls.exe: arg/env list too long." Has anyone come across this? Is there any way to increase the environment size? Thanks in advance, Neil
williams@umaxc.weeg.uiowa.edu (Kent Williams) (08/11/90)
DOS has a hard and fast limit on command line length of 128 characters. The usual solution is to stuff the expanded command line into the environment -- the MKS tools puts them first, without the NAME= labels. The Aztec C tools puts them last, after an equals-sign with no NAME. But without a widely followed standard, you're stuck. In the particular case of ls * You're probably better turning globbing off, and letting ls do its own expansion. -- Kent Williams 'Look, I can understand "teenage mutant ninja williams@umaxc.weeg.uiowa.edu turtles", but I can't understand "mutually williams@herky.cs.uiowa.edu recursive inline functions".' - Paul Chisholm
rreiner@yunexus.YorkU.CA (Richard Reiner) (08/11/90)
weisen@eniac.seas.upenn.edu (Neil Weisenfeld) writes: >a command like: "ls *" (no quotes) would almost always end in the >program exiting with an error like "c:/unixbin/ls.exe: arg/env list >too long." Has anyone come across this? Is there any way to increase >the environment size? The problem is MS-DOS's 128-character command line limit: when the shell globs your "*", the resulting list of names is over 128 characters long. I don't know if this will work with uxutl162, but using the PiCnix utilities one can get around this by doing e.g. "ls \*", since the utilities can do their own globbing.
ee5391aa@hydra.unm.edu (Duke McMullan n5gax) (08/14/90)
Neil, the problem is the 128-character limit of the command line, which seems hardwired into COMMAND.COM. The easiest way out I know of is to go to 4dos, which is a replacement for COMMAND.COM (different name(s)) which cheerfully accepts a 256-char. command line. 4dos is also MUCH easier to live with than messdos. Personally, I wouldn't leave home without it. You'll find 4dos on the various ftp sites and on many bulletin boards. Look for version 3.1, which (I believe) is the current release. "Try it: You'll like it," d PS: 4dos is *almost* completely compatible with messdos. d -- When you're up to your butt in alligators, it's difficult to remember that the initial objective was to drain the swamp. -- traditional Duke McMullan n5gax nss13429r phon505-255-4642 ee5391aa@hydra.unm.edu