Re: sub processes and PATH

[Earnie Boyd]

Kevin Seguin wrote:
> I've noticed that when make runs sub processes, it searches for the file
> to exec using the "windows" search algorithm as defined by the OpenFile
> win32 api (see
> http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/fileio/
> base/openfile.asp), rather than just looking through the directory
> elements in the PATH environment variable.  this seems strange to me
> (maybe because I think in *nix terms, I dunno...).

Hmm...  You think it strange that a program follow the rules set forth 
by the OS Kernel or Runtime?  You're the one that's strange. ;)

> I noticed this when I was trying to use a win32 version of find (from
> findutils).  because there is also find.exe in WINNT/system32, even if
> the findutils version of find was in my path before the windows find,
> the windows find would always be used.
>
> anyway, this is pretty easy to fix (or change, depending on your
> perspective, I suppose).  I'm just wondering if anybody else finds this
> to be a problem...

Perhaps you should take a look a http://www.mingw.org/msys.shtml to get 
yourself a *nix environment?

> I've attached a quick and dirty patch for posterity :)

And I think it should just remain that and nothing more.  If I, a native 
win32 user, uses a tool that is win32 compatible I expect it to play by 
win32 rules.

Earnie.