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More on case-sensitivity.

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Nathaniel Beaver
2015-06-28 15:42:04 -05:00
parent 692feddae8
commit cbc9f2d0ad

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@@ -264,9 +264,9 @@ This is why Linus Torvalds `chose an unusually high`_ timer interrupt frequency
.. _chose an unusually high: https://lkml.org/lkml/2005/7/8/263
--------------------------
Filename case-sensitivity.
--------------------------
----------------------------
Filename case-insensitivity.
----------------------------
Linux uses case-sensitive filenames because ASCII, Unix, and the C programming language are case-sensitive.
@@ -288,11 +288,24 @@ However, it does have `negative`_ `ramifications`_ for cross-platform developmen
Developers of cross-platform software `make a habit`_ of not relying on case-sensitive filesystem access,
but this issue still `crops up when porting`_ from Windows to Linux or vice-versa.
For example, the Linux port of the `Unity engine`_ has `issues with case-sensitive filesystems`_.
Unity does not properly run on a case-sensitive file system (which is something
that Unity users have discovered if theyve tried to install and run Unity on a
case-sensitive HFS+ file system). This is primarily due to Unitys asset
database, and how it stores paths to map them to GUID values. Of course we
tried to be smart in the early days, but if you dont set up a way to actually
verify that what youre doing works on a case-sensitive file system, then it
will never fail that some well-intentioned programmer throws a toLower() in
somewhere and ruins the party.
.. _Not everyone: http://xahlee.info/UnixResource_dir/_/fileCaseSens.html
.. _negative: https://code.google.com/p/tortoisesvn/issues/detail?id=32
.. _ramifications: http://openfoamwiki.net/index.php/Main_FAQ#Why_isn.27t_there_a_Windows_port_of_OpenFOAM_.3F
.. _make a habit: http://www.mono-project.com/docs/getting-started/application-portability/#case-sensitivity
.. _crops up when porting: http://adrienb.fr/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/PortingSourceToLinux.pdf
.. _Unity engine: http://unity3d.com/
.. _issues with case-sensitive filesystems: http://natoshabard.com/post/122670082502/porting-the-unity-editor-to-linux-stuff-i-wish
------------------------------
Limited choice in filesystems.
@@ -896,7 +909,7 @@ including Fedora's ``rpm``-based ``yum`` package manager,
Debian's ``deb``-based ``apt`` and ``dpkg``,
Arch Linux's ``pacman``,
and so on.
This is one reason Linux users are less susceptible to viruses:
This is one reason Linux users are less susceptible to malware:
they generally install packages that are cryptographically signed by the maintainers,
not opaque executables from a website which may not use secure HTTP.
Even inexperienced users can safely install and uninstall software if it is all from a trusted repository.