On 1 February 2014 09:36, Vinay Sajip <vinay_sajip@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:
While recent versions of Windows have symlinks more like POSIX symlinks, XP only has a stunted version called "reparse points" or "junction points" which are not really fit for purpose. I think you'll find that XP environments are found in rather more than "a tiny number of cases", and even though Microsoft has end-of-lifed XP in terms of support, I fear it'll be around for a while yet.
One crippling thing about even recent Windows symlink support is that to create a symlink requires elevation. There is a user right that can be assigned to allow creation of symling without elevation, but bizarrely (and, I gather, deliberately!) Windows strips that right from administrative accounts - so you have a situation where a normal user with the right can create symlinks, but an administrator with the same right still needs elevation. And a major proportion of Windows accounts are administrators. Sigh. One day they might get it right. Paul