Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!portal!cup.portal.com!Walter_Thomas_Reed
From: Walter_Thomas_Reed@cup.portal.com
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: AmigaDos vs Unix wildcards/pathnames
Message-ID: <16023@cup.portal.com>
Date: 19 Mar 89 18:15:39 GMT
References: <600@jc3b21.UUCP>,<6235@cbmvax.UUCP> <00150@landru.UUCP>
Distribution: na
Organization: The Portal System (TM)
Lines: 39

{ A bunch of people write: }
>> [discussion of AmigaDOS versus Unix wild card styles deleted.] 
>> That's a detail of the AmigaDOS copy program, not the wild card system.
>     I think this is the real problem with the way AmigaDOS handles wild
>cards.  Instead of building the pattern matching code into each command I'd
>like to see filename patterns expanded by the shell, as in Unix.  The shell
>would then pass the appropriate arguments to the commands, providing the
>user with a standard, consistent way to specify a filename pattern for
>every command.
>

]You could have a standard consistent way to use wildcards with commands
]with the wildcarding code built in to each one if they would all use
]THE SAME method, i.e. a linkable library routine that all the programmers
]who write the utilities must use.  I am using an operating system that does 
]this, so that the utilities expand the wildcards themselves

Well, This is what ARP does in a shared library, using the GADS call for
command syntax and wild card calls for expansion.  It allows your program
to be smaller than ones using a linked library.
What is so bad about ARP people?  it has templates for help built in and
allows many programs to have the same syntax. (actualy, all programs can have
the same syntax, it's just that arp uses the old AmigaDOS compatible formats
so people don't get all mixed up going between ARP and non-arp stuff.)
There is a good chance of ARP getting into 1.4 you know.  If it does, then
all the problems could be solved.  All commands could use the arp wild card
routines (which don't have the problem of creating a command line too long
error.)

What we need is for the compiler people to include ARP stuff, and commodore
to be compatible with it (for resident stuff.)  Then ARP should be compatible
with commodore too (Environment Vars and such.)  Of course the ARP people have
to give permission for these companies to do this, but they seem willing.

What developers and programmers need is an official word from commodore saying
"We will support ARP."  That's all we need.  Well, a standard format for the
command line could be set too.

Well, What say?