[R-SIG-Mac] Case distinction on a Mac.

[Rolf Turner]

On 20/02/2009, at 3:32 PM, Prof Brian Ripley wrote:

> I am wondering if case-insensitive file systems are really such a
> problem.

	Probably not, actually.

> Because they are the norm on Windows

	That's why I hate them!

> R is set up to cope
> with them and I chose to have my Macs set up with the stanadard file
> systems so I'm more likely to see problems if they occur.
>
> The only time I have ever seen an issue was the no-segfault.R tests
> creating a file PACKAGES and stopping a directory Packages being
> created.

	My little contretemps in respect of .RData and .Rdata
	is somewhat related.  And this was caused by my fumble-fingering
	and then, when I discovered my fumble, wondering why an error
	***didn't*** occur.

> As I understand it Rolf was unaware that he had a case-insensitive
> file system and so was surprised.

	Yep.  That is correct.

> That's very understandable, and
> I've seen it with some new Mac users here -- but they seem to get used
> to it.

	I guess I *can* get used to it. :-)

	cheers,

		Rolf

> The problems I encounter are the other way around: users assuming
> everything is case-insensitive and e.g. documenting 'R CMD install'
> and 'R CMD CHECK' .I had assumed these were Windows users, but I now
> realise that there may be Mac users who habitually ignore case.
>
> On Fri, 20 Feb 2009, Rolf Turner wrote:
>
>>
>> On 20/02/2009, at 2:51 PM, David Winsemius wrote:
>>
>>> Rolf;
>>>
>>> I think you should check whether reformatting is really  
>>> necessary. My
>>> understanding is that Disk Utility will allow repartitioning and  
>>> one can
>>> choose a disk format at the time that a new partition is created.
>>
>> Not clear to me what you're saying here.  Are you suggesting that  
>> I (could)
>> partition my
>> hard drive into a chunk containing the current file system and a  
>> new chunk
>> (with
>> nothing --- yet --- written on it)?  And that I could choose a  
>> disk format
>> for
>> the new chunk such that the file system would be case-sensitive  
>> there?
>>
>> But then I'd get case sensitivity only when working with files  
>> stored in the
>> new
>> chunk, is it not so?
>>
>> Sounds dangerous to me, anyhow!
>>
>> I don't have much of an understanding of file systems and  
>> partitioning, I'm
>> afraid.
>>
>> 	cheers,
>>
>> 		Rolf
>>
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>
> -- 
> Brian D. Ripley,                  ripley at stats.ox.ac.uk
> Professor of Applied Statistics,  http://www.stats.ox.ac.uk/~ripley/
> University of Oxford,             Tel:  +44 1865 272861 (self)
> 1 South Parks Road,                     +44 1865 272866 (PA)
> Oxford OX1 3TG, UK                Fax:  +44 1865 272595


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