- #Symlinker install for mac#
- #Symlinker install windows 10#
- #Symlinker install software#
- #Symlinker install windows#
In UNIX-compatible operating systems like Linux, FreeBSD, OSX, etc., symlinks can be created without restrictions. Replacing redundant copies of files can save a great deal of physical disk space, and significantly reduce the time taken to copy/backup/deploy/clone projects. BackgroundĪ symlink is essentially a pointer to a file or folder located elsewhere, consumes little space and is very fast to create (compared to copying a file and its contents).īecause of this, developers often replace duplicate copies of shared files/folders with symlinks referencing physical files/folders.
#Symlinker install windows#
This will allow developers, tools and projects, that previously struggled to work effectively on Windows due to symlink issues, to behave just as efficiently and reliably as they do on Linux or OSX.
#Symlinker install windows 10#
Starting with Windows 10 Insiders build 14972, symlinks can be created without needing to elevate the console as administrator. In our efforts to continually improve the Windows Developer experience we’re fixing this! However, it hasn’t been easy for Windows developers to create symlinks. The Windows’ NTFS file system has supported symlinks since Windows Vista. Put your time and effort towards iOS support, which has the most profitable market share and is the future of the Mac.Symlinks, or symbolic links, are “virtual” files or folders which reference a physical file or folder located elsewhere, and are an important feature built in to many operating systems, including Linux and Windows. Just don't put too much effort into this endeavour. You can serve that market with a package installer, or with executables that work on the command line for users who know where to find them. You are worried about a tiny fraction of a tiny fraction possible users. The macOS platform itself is strictly niche at this point. Just don't forget who your market is, or isn't. I'm not saying you shouldn't make command-line tools.
#Symlinker install for mac#
You and I, as developers, may use the Terminal and have things installed in /usr/local/bin, but that is very unusual for Mac users. macOS is a "melange" of a number of different origin systems. It is true that macOS has a BSD compatibility layer, but that's not quite the same thing. So, if you were to attempt to create those links, the first thing you would have to do is create /usr/local/bin, if it didn't already exist, and create it correctly.ĭon't read too much into the "BSD origin myth". I just checked two different machines to verify. But to clarify, while /usr/local does exist and /usr/local/bin is in the default path, the path /usr/local/bin does not actually exist on a default configuration. This puts the user in control, which is the way Apple wants it. That would be a whole lot easier and less risky than any other method. You could even include a little shell script to do that for them. Anyone who knows their way around the Terminal could add that location to their path, or add symlinks in /usr/local/bin. The ideal solution is to just put any command-line tools in a "Helpers" directory. But again, this could be removed at any time. I mentioned another option using AppleScript in this thread from about a year ago. You could use the old deprecated methods that still work but could be removed at any time. You can create a privileged helper tool, launch daemon, and mach ports to do it the "official" way. The installer and associated scripts run as root. If you have a developer tool and you want to create symlinks there, the best option is a package installer. If the user wants to uninstall something, there is a good chance the only way to do that is to wipe out all of /usr/local.
#Symlinker install software#
Some other software could overwrite your binaries. Because any open-source project ported to the Mac is going to dump files in /usr/local, it isn't a safe place. It only matters for people who use Terminal. I can't tell for sure because Parallels does use it my VMs. To start off with, I don't think it exists on a fresh install. usr/local/bin is not a good place for Mac software.
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