15.3.5.6 Windows Separators and Drive Letters

On Unix, directories in a file name are separated by a forward slash (`/'). On Windows, directories are separated by a backward slash (`\'). For example, the Unix file `dir/file' on Windows would be `dir\file'.(35)

On Unix, a list of directories is normally separated by a colon (`:'). On Windows, a list of directories is normally separated by a semicolon (`;'). For example, a simple Unix search path might look like this: `/bin:/usr/bin'. The same search path on Windows would probably look like this: `c:\bin;c:\usr\bin'.

On Unix, the file system is a single tree rooted at the directory simply named `/'. On Windows, there are multiple file system trees. Absolute file names often start with a drive letter followed by a colon. Windows maintains a default drive, and a default directory on each drive, which can make it difficult for a program to convert a relative file name into the absolute file name intended by the user. Windows permits referring to files on other systems by using a file name which starts with two slashes followed by a system name.