ResourceFS Filer uses a nutsy condition to start

ResourceFS Filer only starts up if the ResourceFS filesystem exists. However to do this it’s somewhat barmy – or using WAY old interfaces.

https://gitlab.riscosopen.org/RiscOS/Sources/FileSys/ResourceFS/ResFiler/-/blob/master/s/ResFiler#L765

• Read the current filing system with OS_Args
• Select no filing system, by calling the service call, using the ancient BBC OS_Byte interface.
• Try to select the filing system ResourceFS by number, using the same interface
• Read the current filing system with OS_Args
• If the filing system changed, ResourceFS exists and we can start up.
• Restore the old filing system

I have changed this in my sources to ‘Read whether Resources:$’ exists.

Daft idea here… Is it feasible to replace the system’s ResourceFS by setting a Resources: path to area(s) of the boot disc and killing off the ResourceFS module? Not while the Desktop is running, of course…

This is how my RISC OS Pyromaniac system works in my testing – but only IF you replace the code which does the above craziness to just check for the existance of `Resources:$`. It is the exact reason that this proble was found.

Of course, this also assumes that your FileSwitch supports $ as a root anchor in path variables, which RISC OS Select and RISC OS Pyromaniac do, but I have no idea if this has been implemented in RISC OS 5.