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Date: Sat, 09 Apr 2005 22:07:16 +1200
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CC: Wez Furlong <kingwez@gmail.com>, Sara Golemon <pollita@php.net>
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Subject: Re: [PHP-DEV] Scheme identification in stream wrappers: (Partial)
	disambiguation?
From: packrat@nznet.gen.nz ("Morgan L. Owens")

Wez Furlong wrote:
 >
 > Really?
 > Can you guarantee that your user-space code to sniff out the path is
 > going to work 100% of the time on all platforms?
 >
Who said user-space? I meant in the implementation of fopen().

 >
 > It's not just 1 letter.  There are 3 letter special device names too.
 >
Natch; yeah. You still can't create a directory named "aux". Or "com1".

 >
 > The file:// protocol is a load of rubbish, because it neglects to
 > specify how remote file access should work.
 >
It explicitly states as much.
"The file URL scheme is unusual in that it does not specify an Internet
protocol or access method for such files; as such, its utility in
network protocols between hosts is limited."

 >
 > Is there a clear win for PHP, that outweighs the strong risk of
 > breaking PHP until all the edge cases have been resolved?
 >
Probably not. It would have been easier to fix it earlier on before
kludging file paths and URLs together in the same namespace without
thinking through the consequences, but that opportunity is long lost. I
guess it will just have to be another case where we have to say "Screw
the standards. They're too difficult to implement." Ah well, it's only a
couple of characters. tel://+1-816-555-1212 it is, then. And explain to
users _why_ some URLs need to be massaged (in user space) before PHP can
recognise them. It's not a bug, it's a feature.

MLO