WSL symbolic links

[Brian Inglis]

On 2020-03-28 05:59, Andrey Repin wrote:
> Greetings, Brian Inglis!
> 
>>>
>>> Thanks!  This should already be fixed in the latest developer snapshot
>>> after I was finally able to install WSL myself.  See my reply to Thomas
>>> in https://sourceware.org/pipermail/cygwin/2020-March/244211.html
>>>
>>> All the effects are a result of not opening the reparse point as reparse
>>> point, as weird as it sounds at first :)
> 
>> Would you consider that test program a reasonable base for something I have
>> wished for a while: a program that would classify a file name as a (regular)
>> hard link, a Windows directory or file link, a junction, a Windows shortcut, a
>> Cygwin symlink, a Unix/WSL symlink, a URL link, and/or tell me where it links to
>> etc. Thinking of hacking that plus maybe bits of file, cygpath, readshortcut,
>> readlink, lsattr together to display otherwise awkward to access attributes and
>> properties.
> 
> I'd like to see it as part of "file -h" functionality.

Both file and grep are getting worse at distinguishing UTF-8 from binary data,
so I don't want to get into fiddling with that recognizer/interpreter, given
that it can not get or use that information as is, just enough of file to decide
on or verify a file type;
for ls: link classification is outside its remit; and
swan (SWiss Army kNife) is too vague and wide for my taste: a sharper tool and a
more focussed name depending on eventual function like lslink.

-- 
Take care. Thanks, Brian Inglis, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

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