Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!lll-winken!lll-lcc!ames!ucsd!sdcsvax!ucsdhub!hp-sdd!hplabs!hpda!hpcupt1!hpisod2!decot
From: decot@hpisod2.HP.COM (Dave Decot)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.wizards
Subject: Re: Re: command line options (UNIX-specific)
Message-ID: <14020029@hpisod2.HP.COM>
Date: 17 Apr 88 03:19:25 GMT
References: <1036@mcgill-vision.UUCP>
Organization: Hewlett Packard, Cupertino
Lines: 12

Why don't we bite the bullet and change our kernels to refuse
to create files whose names begin with a hyphen or contain
non-printing characters (unless special arrangements are made
by the user to permit it)?

There is no particular advantage for users to be allowed to
use such filenames, but their accidental or naive creation has
historically and provably caused a good deal of trouble for
(even advanced) users.  See "a rm question" elsewhere in
this newsgroup for yet another example.

Dave Decot
hpda!decot