[Python-Dev] PEP 394 request for pronouncement (python2 symlink in *nix systems) (original) (raw)
Cameron Simpson cs at zip.com.au
Sun Feb 12 21:30:43 CET 2012
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On 12Feb2012 18:57, "Martin v. Löwis" <martin at v.loewis.de> wrote: | Am 12.02.2012 17:04, schrieb Antoine Pitrou: | > Le dimanche 12 février 2012 à 16:52 +0100, "Martin v. Löwis" a écrit : | >>> Why hard links? Symlinks are much more introspectable. When looking at | >>> a hard link I have no easy way to know it's the same as whatever other | >>> file in the same directory. | >> | >> There actually is an easy way, in regular ls: look at the link count. | >> It comes out of ls -l by default, and if it's >1, there will be an | >> identical file.
Yeah! Somewhere... :-(
| > This doesn't tell me which file it is || Well, you didn't ask for that, it does "to know it's the same as | whatever other file" nicely :-)
Sure, at the OS level. Not much use for inspection.
| As Charles-François explains, you can use ls -i for that, which isn't | that easy, but still straight-forward.
If the hardlink is nearby. Of course in this example it (almost certainly?) is, but it needn't be. A symlink is a much better solution to this problem because:
usability - "ls -l" shows it to the user by default
practicality:
With a symlink, to find out what it attaches to you examine the symlink.
With a hardlink you first examine a fairly opaque numeric attribute of "python2", and then you examine every other filename on the system! Admittedly starting with "python2.*" in the same directory, but in principle in other places. Arbitrary other places.
IMO a symlink is far and away the better choice in this situation.
Cheers,
Cameron Simpson <cs at zip.com.au> DoD#743 http://www.cskk.ezoshosting.com/cs/
I need your clothes, your boots, and your motorcycle. - Arnold Schwarzenegger, Terminator 2
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