ISSUE: Lockfile location in MS Windows

[Mark Taylor]

This is a technical issue.

It is important that the lockfile used for hub discovery in the Standard
Profile (sect 4.3) is in a well-known place; this well-known place must
be identifiable (preferably easily identifiable) from any language.

For Un*x-like systems, the directory named by the $HOME environment 
variable (which happens to be available from within Java via the
user.home system property) fits this bill nicely.

For MS Windows, it is apparently more complicated.  From java, the
user.home system property looks sensible, but there are subtle 
technical problems with this - see:

    http://bugs.sun.com/bugdatabase/view_bug.do?bug_id=4787931

Even disregarding the problem faced by java developers, it doesn't
seem clear where best to put this, since the idea of a "home" directory
in Windows systems doesn't seem to be as clearly defined as it is for
Un*x.  Any Windows experts out there can advise?

-- 
Mark Taylor   Astronomical Programmer   Physics, Bristol University, UK
m.b.taylor at bris.ac.uk +44-117-928-8776 http://www.star.bris.ac.uk/~mbt/