install,windows: symlink iojs -> node?

[bnoordhuis]

Per today's TC meeting, we're going to rename the binary to iojs and ln -s iojs node on install, provided there isn't already a binary with that name in the target directory.

Symlinks on Windows require elevated privileges and are therefore probably not an option. What to do? I see two options:

1. Only install iojs, no symlink. Least amount of effort.
2. Provide a stub node.exe or node.cmd (if that works) that executes iojs.
3. Something else - but what?

Input welcome.

/cc @domenic @piscisaureus

[domenic]

For reasons @piscisaureus probably understands better than me (I think PATH_EXT is involved?), the stub node.exe (not node.cmd) will give the most seamless experience. That is what Git does as of ~1.8 on Windows, if I recall.

[gkatsev]

Windows, starting with Vista, supports actual symlinks. But one of the other solutions is probably best if windows XP support is needed.

[domenic]

@gkatsev without elevated privileges?

[gkatsev]

@domenic elevated privileges are needed for writing to privileged areas like C:/Program Files et al, but otherwise, doesn't require extra privileges.

[piscisaureus]

@gkatsev If wish you were right but you are not. On windows creating symlinks always requires elevation.

[gkatsev]

Interesting, I was certain it didn't require elevation. I just tried it just to be sure and it does. That really is too bad.

[kkoopa]

I posted in that other thread, but if this is more on topic, I'll repost it:

NAN requires executing 'node' to find the location of the header. Windows compatibility is the main source of problems when it comes to using multiple alternative names. nodejs/nan#70

[rstacruz]

-1 on this. io.js looks like it will have some breaking API changes from node.js, which means cross-compatibility of io.js and node.js apps won't always be 100% guaranteed. having a node symlink by default may hold progress back.

[kessler]

@bnoordhuis @domenic @piscisaureus it is quite common for installers to require elevation on windows, why not just do that?

[bnoordhuis]

Short update: after some discussion, it got clear that it's not really possible to reliably detect if an existing install was done by joyent/node, iojs or a mashup of the two (e.g. an iojs install that got scribbled over by joyent/node.) The tentative conclusion is that we are not going to try and simply trust that the user knows what s/he is doing.