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

[Duncan Murdoch]

Prof Brian Ripley wrote:
> I am wondering if case-insensitive file systems are really such a 
> problem.  Because they are the norm on Windows, 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.
>
> As I understand it Rolf was unaware that he had a case-insensitive 
> file system and so was surprised.  That's very understandable, and 
> I've seen it with some new Mac users here -- but they seem to get used 
> to it.
>
> 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.
>   

Yes, last year when R CMD temporarily required case sensitivity for 
INSTALL there were complaints from Mac
users as well as Windows users.  The argument then was that it was 
documented to be a file in RHOME/bin, so file system rules should apply.
If it becomes purely an internal command, it should be case sensitive, 
but if it's a script in the file system, it should respect the host 
filesystem rules.

Duncan Murdoch
> 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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