Re: LYNX-DEV Spelling the Lynx version (dot vs. dash)

[Foteos Macrides]

Al Gilman <address@hidden> wrote:
>  From: "Jim Spath (Webmaster Jim)" <address@hidden>
>  
>  Thanks for updating prep.ai.mit.edu!  The only minor nit is the 
>  numbering scheme.  Lynx versions have historically been identified
>  with dashes rather than periods, since VMS apparently allows only
>  one dot per file name.  So lynx-2.7.1 should be called lynx2-7-1.
>  
>Historically, there has been varied use including mixes such as 2.3-FM.
>
>But I think we should go with the way we want it to be in the future.
>I have changed the text on lynx.browser.org to read "Lynx 2-7-1"
>on the premise that if we just stick to this people won't trip over
>the fact that there are hyphens in the filename.
>
>Anyone object?

        I don't personally see any problem with retaining the convention
of using dots to indicate the main and subversions (plus letters with
or without a hyphen, but not a dot, for personal or development code
sets) when the version is indicated in the online help or Lynx Version
string.  Don't confuse that with the departure from convention with
respect to use of multidot names for archives, rather than hyphens
which will correspond to the breakout directory.  E.g., by convention,
what is now:

        lynx2.7.1ac-0.28.zip
        lynx2.7.1ac-0.28.tar.gz
        lynx2.7.1ac-0.28.tar.Z

would have been:

        lynx2-7-1ac_0_28.zip
        lynx2-7-1ac_0_28.tar.gz
        lynx2-7-1ac_0_28.tar.Z

with the implication that the breakout will be in and under:

        lynx2-7-1ac
        
The .tar.gz and .tar.Z multidots would have been retained in those
names, because the second dot would be converted automatically to
the character expected by the uncompressor ports to VMS.

        That convention to accommodate VMS does not also
accommodate the 8.3 systems Lynx now seeks to support
(lynx2-7-1ac, or even lynx2-7-1, is more than 8 letters),
so Wayne's opinion about this seems relevant to consider.
I presume .tgz is OK in lieu of .tar.gz, and I presume
a .tar.Z would be handled as if it were a .tgz (i.e,
using gunzip in Unix compress mode), but I don't know
anything concrete about the DOS/WIN/NT ports of gzip. :)

                        Fote

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 Foteos Macrides            Worcester Foundation for Biomedical Research
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