Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!clyde.concordia.ca!uunet!auspex!guy
From: guy@auspex.auspex.com (Guy Harris)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.wizards
Subject: Re: Hard links to directories: why not?
Message-ID: <3732@auspex.auspex.com>
Date: 23 Jul 90 18:34:48 GMT
References: <18466@rpp386.cactus.org> <3724@auspex.auspex.com> <18468@rpp386.cactus.org>
Organization: Auspex Systems, Santa Clara
Lines: 10

>You're missing the entire purpose of the question - the question isn't
>what is the behavior, but rather, why isn't the behavior something else.
>That two different behaviors exist is obvious - now why hasn't anyone
>bothered to add an option to select which one you get?

And you cut off the portion of my response in which I said *why* nobody
added that option; the answer is "you can get that behavior without
adding a flag to 'ln' - either remove the target first using a command
that doesn't barf if it's not there, or check if it's there first and
remove it if it is."