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From: Kilgallen@SpamCop.net (Larry Kilgallen)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada
Subject: Re: How to detect OS type and version?
Date: 16 Oct 2005 09:16:17 -0500
Organization: LJK Software
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In article <ufyr2dqf1.fsf@STRIPCAPStelus.net>, Ray Blaak <rAYblaaK@STRIPCAPStelus.net> writes:
> Robert A Duff <bobduff@shell01.TheWorld.com> writes:
>> Ray Blaak <rAYblaaK@STRIPCAPStelus.net> writes:
>> > Simply adding a new OS to some central definition should not impact all
>> > existing code. In practical terms people should have had an "unknown OS"
>> > handler anyway.
>> 
>> What is the directory separator character on "unknown OS"?  ;-)
> 
> I don't know, of course. The point is to have a plan for it. In the worst
> case you exit with the appropriate error message "unknown OS!". In practice
> you assume "Unix".

I got to work on some Ada code that used this "directory separator"
approach.  Perhaps it is ok if your only choices are Windows or Unix,
but on VMS the characters ":[", "." and "]" are all used, except when
that list is ":<", "." and ">".  Needless to say, the "directory separator"
approach was totally inadequate.