* Timur Kristóf:

>> > A path is always a Unicode string, while a DB name can be an arbitrary
>> > binary blob.
>>
>> On many POSIX platforms, a path is a blob which does not contain
>> '\000'.  These systems do not enforce Unicode encoding at all.
>
> My mistake. I was unaware.
> On those platforms, how do you type a path name into a terminal?

There are some files which are not directly nameable.  Many programs
support special sequences such as “Ctrl+V 3 7 7” to enter arbitrary
bytes, but that's not universal.  Depending on the actual
implementation of the terminal, cut-and-paste of funny file names can
work, too.

Older programs have trouble accessing such files even if the user
chooses them in a file selection dialog, but current version are
supposed to have been fixed (including OpenJDK, which took a
ridiculously long time).  Beyond that, it's not much different from
dealing with file names in an unfamiliar script.

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