Re: Win32 Makefile template patch.

Hi Richard,

Wouldn't having /cygwin/bin permanently in your PATH screw up native executables throughout? Can you use MS rmdir on your system at all?

No. As in normal windows, shell commands take precedence over programs/scripts, even with the same name. If I want to use a cygwin program in preference to a windows one, then I will either delete or rename the windows one. If I can't do that, then I will put the cygwin version in a tools directory which is in the path before windows, et al. rmdir does not exist as an "executable" in windows/dos. It is part of the shell (command.com/cmd.exe). There is no "program" (or script or anything) called rmdir.anything.

... that's what 'alias' means.

Here is some steps I've taken to show the problem. If you don't have cygwin in your path, then this isn't an issue. But I do and I use cygwin tools all day. This patch removes the problem. For the last 20 years of software development, I've always used md/cd/rd rather than mkdir/chdir/rmdir. In windows they are the same thing.

Eh, I'm just trying to figure out whether that conflict's specific to your setup or not. Don't take it personally ;) but if it's an issue for all, sure, the patch goes in. If it's just you, it probably doesn't. I uninstalled cygwin about 5 weeks ago when I had a stuffed hard disk, so I can't check for myself what happens with PATH and cygwin. I didn't have any problems with it when it was there, just - as you say - it's not essential for docs any more, and that's about all I used it for. We need someone else to confirm/deny. - Steph