Re: globbing.

[steve@gec-epl.co.uk (Steve_Kilbane)]

From: quanstro%epsilon.eecs.nwu.edu@gec-epl.co.uk (Erik Quanstrom) 
> Is there any real reason (other than cultural compatability) that
> a failed glob returns the globbing pattern?

i assume you then meant: "How about es returning a null list?"

> 
> There is only one case that I could see this being a problem: 
> 
> ; ls *.c
> 
> will ls * because of the default behavior of ls.
> 

...and i think that's the reason: so that programs which expected filenames
would be given at least one, which they could then barf on. Consider
re-creating a tarfile "tarred-gnu-program-with-lots-of-chars-1.0.8.17":

; tar cf tarred* file1.c file2.c file3.c ...

..and your hours of work go down the toilet.

steve.