Re: [git-for-windows] Re: Revision resolution for remote-helpers?

[Johannes Schindelin <Johannes.Schindelin@gmx.de>]

Hi,

On Fri, 18 Aug 2017, Jonathan Nieder wrote:

> Mike Hommey wrote[1]:
> > On Fri, Aug 18, 2017 at 03:06:37PM -0700, Jonathan Nieder wrote:
> >> Mike Hommey wrote:
> 
> >>> The reason for the <helper>:: prefix is that it matches the <helper>::
> >>> prefix used for remote helpers.
> >>>
> >>> Now, there are a few caveats:
> [...]
> >>> - msys likes to completely fuck up command lines when they contain ::.
> >>>   For remote helpers, the alternative that works is
> >>>   <helper>://<host>/etc.
> >>
> >> Hm --- is there a bug already open about this (e.g. in the Git for
> >> Windows project or in msys) where I can read more?
> >
> > It's entirely an msys problem. Msys has weird rules to translate between
> > unix paths and windows paths on the command line, and botches everything
> > as a consequence. That's by "design".
> >
> > http://www.mingw.org/wiki/Posix_path_conversion
> >
> > (Particularly, see the last two entries)
> >
> > That only happens when calling native Windows programs from a msys
> > shell.
> 
> Cc-ing the Git for Windows mailing list as an FYI.
> 
> I have faint memories that some developers on that project have had to
> delve deep into Msys path modification rules.  It's possible they can
> give us advice (e.g. about <helper>::<url> having been a bad choice of
> syntax in the first place :)).

I think it is safe to assume that :: is not part of any Unix-y path. That
is why the MSYS2 runtime does not try to play games with it by converting
it to a Windows path.

(And indeed, I just tested this, an argument of the form
"a::file://b/x/y/z" is not converted to a "Windows path")

Ciao,
Dscho