From: ian AT cygnus DOT com (Ian Lance Taylor)
Subject: Re: Patch: directory symlink bug
7 Apr 1998 18:29:07 -0700
Message-ID: <199804080112.VAA22934.cygnus.cygwin32.developers@subrogation.cygnus.com>
References: <199804080037 DOT RAA28288 AT skaro DOT cygnus DOT com>
To: noer AT cygnus DOT com
Cc: jeffdb AT goodnet DOT com, rkim AT ElectronicDNA DOT com, cygwin32-developers AT cygnus DOT com,
        noer AT cygnus DOT com

   From: Geoffrey Noer <noer AT cygnus DOT com>
   Date: Tue, 7 Apr 1998 17:36:59 -0700 (PDT)

   > In fact symlinks to directories weren't "officially"
   > supported before, they just worked. I had assumed
   > that when B19 came out, and they stopped working
   > there was a reason for it, but I don't see one.
   > 
   > path.cc winsup-980401
   > 
   >   /* A symlink will have the `system' file attribute. */
   >   /* Directories cannot be symlinks. */
   >   if ((fileattr & (FILE_ATTRIBUTE_SYSTEM | FILE_ATTRIBUTE_DIRECTORY)) !=
   >         FILE_ATTRIBUTE_SYSTEM)
   >     return 0;

I don't see what this has to do with having a symlink to a directory.
This code says that a file can not be both a symlink and a directory.
That's correct.  A symlink to a directory is not a directory.  It's a
symlink.

On Unix it is certainly impossible to have a file which is both a
symlink and a directory.

   I'll probably commit the change since it looks right...

I think this needs more thought.

Ian