Re: Lisp code to expand /~ and // but not env vars?

[Peter Dyballa]

Am 03.10.2005 um 02:03 schrieb Drew Adams:

> Function `expand-file-name' does not replace "//" and "/~" as 
> `substitute-in-file-name' does.

// is in UNIX nonsense. The root is / and does not get more root when 
written as '//' -- this only has in ancient (Apollo) Domain OS a 
meaning (Domain OS could create ad-hoc networks and // was the root of 
the individual members in the network). '//' is created as a text in 
mini-buffer when you either try to find a file or try to dired. The 
right means to handle such strings would be to substitute everything 
from the beginning to // with /.

'/~' probably in every OS is nonsense. / is the root; ~ is, when 
followed by a /, my home directory; ~, when followed by a user's login 
name, means that user's home directory. The sequence '/~' happens to 
appear in mini-buffer when you either try to find a file or try to 
dired. The right means to handle such strings would be to substitute 
everything from the beginning to /~ with ~.


The routines in dired or find-file that handle such 'input' handle it 
already right.

--
Greetings

  Pete

There's no sense in being precise when you don't
even know what you're talking about.
        -- John von Neumann