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this post was submitted on 17 Aug 2024
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Technology
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I might have agreed with such statements 20 years ago. But not anymore. I can't count the times I've seen how certain software, game, system or a service literally brick themselves when a use case involves using non-ascii, non-english or non-unicode characters, paths or regions. Not Linux related only or specifically, but almost always it looks and feels embarrassing. I've seen some related global improvements in windows, NTFS, and some products, but all that is still not enough in my opinion. The thought that people shouldn't need >255 bytes (or symbols) sounds not different from that 640k ram quote.
I doubt the Linux kernel bricks itself when filename are too long, regardless of encoding. It doesn't do characters, but just bytes. If there is too maybe bytes, they just get trimmed. User level above I can certainly believe. On all platforms. Difference is you can fix it in the open world and throw a patch. It's an embarrassing crash, and will be a simple fix, so it will get in. Closed products, well maybe you can log it, maybe they will fix it, but your in serfdom unless you have real money and other options.
The other thing that makes me think this can't be as a big an issue as you say is, the example you gave, still looks bloody long. Seams like doing it wrong if the filename is a sentence. It filename, not filesentence.
This tiny, and seemingly silly, thing, doesn't make Windows and NTFS not laughablely in 2024.
You aren't getting it.
It's not about bricking, it's about relying on "standards" (limitations actually) that should be obsolete in 2024, in multinational technology world. About the fact that they are effectively limiting how people from all around the world can use characters, words, names etc. anywhere.
It's not about money, not about patches or developing them. It's about what users expect. They surely don't expect to be told "fix it yourself if you don't like".
This is by no means a "big" issue because it affects less than 1 percent of users, sure. Not many people hit the NTFS limit on windows either, yet you can see thousands places where people discuss that long paths setting, people who need to overcome it, people who maybe even grateful that such an option appeared in later windows versions.
😒 Yep, that's useless. What's next, "hey Linux doesn't support .exe, those are games for windows so you play them on windows"?
You want unlimited filename length?? Yer... that's a bad idea. Everything has a limit set for good reason.
Yes with open source you can do it yourself, but you can also pay someone to do it. Skills+time, or money to pay someone with the skills, that's what is needed. There is nothing stopping what you want happening. Yet it doesn't. Not even talk of if it by looks of it
This a mountain out of mole hill.
I have no idea what you are on about with Windows games exes. I assume you know of Stream's Proton and just Wine.
No. But a limit at least better than Windows has to offer would help a lot (already because switching is a common thing and should be made breeze for everyone). And 256 bytes is bad no matter how you look at it.
No, that's not needed I think. Some file systems supported by Linux already support longer names, it's Linux VFS that is limiting them. This is an artificial limit basically. It will be changed eventually, I only say that it's long overdue already.
I assume you know it wasn't always like that. Surely a lot of Linux developers never thought it was a good idea to support many more windows-related systems (one could say it would be implemented if it was a big issue), but here we are.
Come on.
'Welcome to the Exile Guild ~The incompetent S-rank party will banish more and more talented adventurers, so collect the weakest and create the strongest guild~ 1 (Dragon Comics Age) - Yusuke Araki'
Is not a reasonable name.
I get:
ようこそ『追放者ギルド』へ ～無能なＳランクパーティがどんどん有能な冒険者を追放するので、最弱を集めて最強ギルドを創ります～ 1 (ドラゴンコミックスエイジ) - 荒木 佑輔
As 87 Unicode characters and 241 bytes in UTF8.
So this unreasonable name does fit.
I don't see this limit changing any time soon because in hitting it, you're naming files unmanageablely. Pretty sure that is what the main devs will say and concentrate on more important stuff. If you present them with nice code for it, maybe they will take it. If not, it will mean carrying those patches on own folk. Though maybe you could get them to take bits of it making the carrying easier.
People doing it for themselves is very common. I've fixed bugs in all kinds of things, including the Linux kernel. People doing it for money is a world I don't know, but I know of. Example : https://console.algora.io/
You can also just hire a contractor, or team, to do open source. I've done that, at the developer end (Qt4 Windows port work).
Wine is, old. It's from 1993. The code is great though. Over 12 years ago, when stuck on Windows for work, I used to use it as a reference when the MSDN didn't cover stuff. But I wouldn't recommend it though as a way of living on a UNIX. If you are depent on Windows apps, you aren't ready to leave. Wine does not make a UNIX into Windows. Changing underlying implementation bring out bugs in software above. With closed shit, you can't fix them. Wine does however, give you a route to running a piece of Windows software, if you have the time to give that software the set of Windows bug it expects, "Bug for bug". Valve have basics lovingly wrapped Windows games with what each game needs.
You aren't addressing what I've said. But that's expected. No need to spend more of your time.
It does feel like we are talking past each other. Probably coming from very different places. All the best anyway.