Xref: utzoo comp.lang.c:9063 comp.unix.wizards:7659
Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!seismo!sundc!pitstop!sun!quintus!ok
From: ok@quintus.UUCP (Richard A. O'Keefe)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.c,comp.unix.wizards
Subject: Re: command line options
Message-ID: <864@cresswell.quintus.UUCP>
Date: 9 Apr 88 07:11:19 GMT
References: <2414@zyx.UUCP> <8039@elsie.UUCP> <7628@brl-smoke.ARPA> <143@gsg.UUCP> <48917@sun.uucp>
Organization: Quintus Computer Systems, Mountain View, CA
Lines: 18
Summary: remember the -i hack?

In article <48917@sun.uucp>, guy@gorodish.Sun.COM (Guy Harris) writes:
> > You miss the point; -? already has the desired property; it does not
> > have to be explicitly added to every application.
> 
> Relying on the Bourne/Korn shell not expanding some string containing a
> pattern-matching metacharacter because you "know" there are no files that match
> that string is dangerous (although I do it anyway...).  You may someday find
> that there *is* such a file.

This is more of a UNIX issue than a C issue by now (or do DEC now ship
getopts with VMS?).  As a UNIX issue, it should be pointed out that as
a time-honoured hack for protecting important directories, some people
create an empty file called "-i", so that an
	rm *
command will turn into
	rm -i {everything else}
So files matching "-?" are quite likely to exist.
Me?  Use an appalling hack like that?  Only sometimes.