Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!usc!samsung!munnari.oz.au!bruce!trlluna!rhea!aduncan
From: aduncan@rhea.trl.OZ.AU (Allan Duncan)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.introduction
Subject: Re: Wildcards in the CLI
Message-ID: <3474@trlluna.trl.oz>
Date: 10 May 91 00:00:37 GMT
References: <21405@cbmvax.commodore.com>
Sender: news@trlluna.trl.oz
Lines: 27

From article <21405@cbmvax.commodore.com>, by daveh@cbmvax.commodore.com (Dave Haynie):
...
>>If ARP can reasonably support * (and in a consistent manner, yet), why
>>can't AmigaDOS?
> 
> Maybe because * is already taken.  What does ARP do with:
> 
> 	copy * quick_file
> 
> If it doesn't let me type from the console into a file called "quick_file",
> then its doing the wrong thing.  The "* kludge" feature of 2.0 handles the use
> of * intelligently, at least; the above example works correctly, but * can be
> used as shorthand for #? as long as other characters go with it.  Personally,
> I have no use for the "* kludge" feature, but others can switch it on when
> using 2.0 if they like.

No, Dave, the use of * to represent the console is the kludge.  There
are many way this could have been done instead of using an already
overloaded single character symbol.  ARP's solution to this particular
usage is elegant although not obvious -
	type >quickfile
Shades of pipes, eh?

Allan Duncan	ACSnet	 a.duncan@trl.oz
(+613) 541 6708	Internet a.duncan@trl.oz.au
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