phobo's std.file is completely broke!

[Vladimir Panteleev]

To elaborate:

On Sunday, 16 September 2018 at 22:40:45 UTC, Vladimir Panteleev 
wrote:
> If *YOU* are OK with the consequences of complexity, implement 
> this in YOUR code, but do not enforce it upon others.

This is much better done in user code anyway, because you only 
need to expand / normalize the path and prepend the prefix only 
once (root of the directory tree you're operating on), instead of 
once per directory call.

We could add a `string longPath(string)` function in Phobos 
(no-op on POSIX, expands and prepends prefix on Windows). I 
believe I suggested the same in the bug report years ago when we 
discussed it.

> It is absolutely not acceptable behavior. Complain to 
> Microsoft. The OS should not allow users to create or select 
> paths that programs cannot operate on without jumping through 
> crazy hoops.

Microsoft could have solved this easily enough:

extern(System) void AllowLongPaths();

Programs (or programming language runtimes) which can handle 
paths longer than MAX_PATH could call that function. It can also 
be used as a hint to the OS that file/directory selection 
dialogs, as you mentioned, are allowed to select paths longer 
than MAX_PATH.