Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!cornell!biar!trebor
From: trebor@biar.UUCP (Robert J Woodhead)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.wizards
Subject: Re: Dot files always first in directory?
Message-ID: <535@biar.UUCP>
Date: 5 May 89 04:09:46 GMT
References: <11108@bloom-beacon.MIT.EDU>
Reply-To: trebor@biar.UUCP (Robert J Woodhead)
Organization: Biar Games, Inc.
Lines: 18

In article <11108@bloom-beacon.MIT.EDU> jik@athena.mit.edu (Jonathan I. Kamens) writes:
>It it safe to assume when writing a program which manipulates
>directories that . and .. will always be the first two entries in a
>directory?

No.  It isn't safe to make this assumption.  Even if it is true on your
machine, it may not be on another implementation (it isn't on my Xenix
box, according to a quick test using ``l''), and it surely will be changed
_just_to_smite_your_program_ at some time in the future.

The only safe assumption to make when writing a program is that _everything_
and _everybody_ is out to get you.  Variables won't; Constant's aren't; and
Users like nothing more than to sadistically abuse your program.

-- 
Robert J Woodhead, Biar Games, Inc.  !uunet!biar!trebor | trebor@biar.UUCP
"The lamb will lie down with the lion, but the lamb won't get much sleep."
     -- Woody Allen.