[PATCH 0/2] Handle "app execution aliases"

Johannes Schindelin johannes.schindelin@gmx.de
Fri Mar 12 15:11:36 GMT 2021


When installing e.g. Python via the Windows Store, it is common that the
`python3.exe` entry in the `PATH` is not actually an executable at all,
but an "app executaion alias" (i.e. a special class of reparse point).

These filesystem entries are presented as 0-size files, but they are not
readable, which is why Cygwin has problems to execute them, with the error
message "Permission denied".

This issue has been reported a couple of times in the Git for Windows and
in the MSYS2 project, and even in Cygwin
(https://cygwin.com/pipermail/cygwin/2020-May/244969.html, the thread
devolved into a discussion about Thunderbird vs Outlook before long,
though).

The second patch fixes that, and for good measure, the first patch teaches
Cygwin to treat these reparse points as symbolic links.

Johannes Schindelin (2):
  Treat Windows Store's "app execution aliases" as symbolic links
  Allow executing Windows Store's "app execution aliases"

 winsup/cygwin/path.cc  | 24 ++++++++++++++++++++++++
 winsup/cygwin/spawn.cc |  7 +++++++
 2 files changed, 31 insertions(+)

--
2.30.2



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