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From: merlyn@iwarp.intel.com (Randal Schwartz)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.questions
Subject: Re: /-happy
Message-ID: <1990Aug16.215045.21300@iwarp.intel.com>
Date: 16 Aug 90 21:50:45 GMT
References: <3139@dftsrv.gsfc.nasa.gov>
Sender: news@iwarp.intel.com
Reply-To: merlyn@iwarp.intel.com (Randal Schwartz)
Organization: Stonehenge; netaccess via Intel, Beaverton, Oregon, USA
Lines: 22
In-Reply-To: merritt@iris613.gsfc.nasa.gov (John H Merritt)

In article <3139@dftsrv.gsfc.nasa.gov>, merritt@iris613 (John H Merritt) writes:
| Explain why '/////' is valid in the following statement:
| 
| cd /./../tmp/////../././bin
| 
| It is interesting that any permutation of '.', '..', '/' and directory
| names can be used with, at least, csh, sh, and tcsh to yield a valid
| path name.

The null pathname (look carefully between the consecutive "/"-s, and
you'll see them there) is a valid synonym for the "current directory".

So aaa////bbb is the same as aaa/././././bbb, except that you don't
have to stat "." four additional times (it'd be fast, but it still
takes time).

Just another Unix hacker,
-- 
/=Randal L. Schwartz, Stonehenge Consulting Services (503)777-0095 ==========\
| on contract to Intel's iWarp project, Beaverton, Oregon, USA, Sol III      |
| merlyn@iwarp.intel.com ...!any-MX-mailer-like-uunet!iwarp.intel.com!merlyn |
\=Cute Quote: "Welcome to Portland, Oregon, home of the California Raisins!"=/