Under uQLx the apps have comlete unfettered access to the native unix file system. Therefore AFAIK none of the file name/path issues affecting Dilwyn would have hit users of Lynx under uQLx. ( I haven't tried it myself). So, the port of any unix programme onto uQLx can, and often does, make use of files in the native file system. This simplifies the task and sidesteps the issue of naming conventions for the limited directory/filename structure under QDOS etc. This does mean that the port is not complete if anyone wants to use the program on any other emulator, or native QL hardware, and its unreasonable to expect otherwise. I think it's a bit unfair to blame the unix community for the difficulties that Dilwyn encountered. Why not blame Marcel for not incorporating a unix ext2 file system within QPC2? ;-)Well, that explains how the qlynx_zip might be useable at all. It certainly can't be unzipped without error on a native QDOS/SMSQ filing system. It might be possible to unzip it on say Windows, copy to QL with a bit of renaming and altering of path lengths and restoration of job headers, adust the configuration for shorter paths and so on. As it is, I certainly don't think Jonathan could have seriously expected it to be used unaltered on a native QDOS filing system.
Seriously though; this highlights the need to automatically unix/dos file names to/from those acceptable to QDOS/SMSQE aka the dos long to short filename mapping. That would enable all filenames to be modified automatically instead of the painful exercise that Dilwyn has, and which will require repeating on almost all of the GNU software out there before it can be used under QDOS.
Painful to even think about this!
In one sense we'd be better off writing our own, but a browser is no mean job. Hyperbrowser could perhaps be updated a little (Tarquin?) to provide a limited text browsing facility, email apps might be easier.
Still, we have to start somewhere. I certainly didn't mean to belittle Marcel's efforts. Let's just hope things develop and mature as time goes by.
-- Dilwyn Jones
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