Sender: nate AT cartsys DOT com
Message-ID: <35C365D0.93B8AB72@cartsys.com>
Date: Sat, 01 Aug 1998 12:00:32 -0700
From: Nate Eldredge <nate AT cartsys DOT com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
To: Ralph Proctor <ralphgpr AT shadow DOT net>
CC: dj AT delorie DOT com, djgpp AT delorie DOT com
Subject: Re: dir.exe in c:\djgpp\bin
References: <3 DOT 0 DOT 1 DOT 16 DOT 19980801124147 DOT 2cb79260 AT shadow DOT net>
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Ralph Proctor wrote:
> 
> Since dir is an INTERNAL dos command which should override anything
> external, how could the
> command in c:\djgpp\bin\  -- dir.exe 102,400 [a big one]  ever be called
> up? I'm just try to access as many unix-like commands as I can and get
> familiar with them.
> 
> Is there any way this dir can be used on a dos machine? Or what is it for?

It does the same thing as `ls', essentially.  It's traditional on Unix
machines for `ls' to also be installed as `dir', and the GNU sh-utils
package from whence this comes is Unix-based.

Also, DJGPP programs will run external programs in preference to
internal command.com ones, since to DJGPP, command.com is something to
be avoided.  This is what lets the frequent Makefile idiom of `echo'ing
very long lines work.
-- 

Nate Eldredge
nate AT cartsys DOT com