[Rd] Sys.readlink (on BSD vs Linux)

[Mikko Korpela]

On 29.02.2016 10:34, Sven E. Templer wrote:
> Hello together,
> 
> the function `Sys.readlink` uses the system's readlink command to resolve symlink paths. On OSX/BSD the command has a different meaning than on Linux [1].
> 
> There exists the tool 'realpath', which seems suitable for the task, at least applied at the command line level [2]. It is used in `normalizePath`.
> 
> I suggest (at least the latter) to
> * use realpath instead readlink within Sys.readlink (do_readlink -> do_normalizepath)
> * link to `normalizePath` in the Rd document, eventually mentioning the difference
> 
> Many thanks,
> Sven
> 
> [1] see
> https://www.freebsd.org/cgi/man.cgi?query=readlink
> vs
> http://linux.die.net/man/1/readlink
> 
> [2]
> https://www.freebsd.org/cgi/man.cgi?query=realpath
> http://linux.die.net/man/1/realpath

What do you mean by "different meaning"? How are the command line tools
[1] relevant when R is using the C function 'readlink'?

http://pubs.opengroup.org/onlinepubs/9699919799/functions/readlink.html
https://www.freebsd.org/cgi/man.cgi?query=readlink&sektion=2
http://man7.org/linux/man-pages/man2/readlink.2.html

-- 
Mikko Korpela
Aalto University School of Science
Department of Computer Science