From: fjh AT cs DOT mu DOT OZ DOT AU (Fergus Henderson)
Subject: Re: Asterisk expansion...
27 Jul 1998 19:00:08 -0700
Message-ID: <19980727234611.34787.cygnus.gnu-win32@mundook.cs.mu.OZ.AU>
References: <19980727133931 DOT 21749 DOT rocketmail AT send1b DOT yahoomail DOT com>
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To: earnie_boyd AT yahoo DOT com
Cc: gw32 <gnu-win32 AT cygnus DOT com>

On 27-Jul-1998, Earnie Boyd <earnie_boyd AT yahoo DOT com> wrote:
> 
> ---Fergus Henderson <fjh AT cs DOT mu DOT OZ DOT AU> wrote:
> >
> > On 24-Jul-1998, Earnie Boyd <earnie_boyd AT yahoo DOT com> wrote:
> > > ---"Robertson, Jason V"  wrote:
> > > >
> > > > Hi,
> > > > 
> > > > There seems to be an inconsistency in how * is interpreted.  When you
> > > > run, say, 'echo.exe' from the commandline you get the following:
> > > > C:> echo *.*
> > > > <Contents of C: are listed>
> > > > C:> echo \*.\*
> > > > \*.\*
> > > > 
> > > > So why does it expand the glob in the first instance, and not unescape
> > > > them in the second?
> > > 
> > > It is the shells job to do the globbing not the programs.
> > 
> > Then why does gnu-win32 do the globbing in the case of the command
> > `echo *.*'?
>
> In the case of the DOS shell command `ECHO' or `echo' is a shell
> builtin; therefore, gnu-win32 doesn't even enter the picture.

Sorry, you are correct.  I forgot that echo was a builtin for command.com.
Let me rephrase the question: why does gnu-win32 do the globbing in the
case of the command `C:\bin\echo *.*'?

My point is that your statement "It is the shells job to do the globbing
not the programs", while valid in Unix, is not valid in DOS, and it
is not valid in any unqualified sense in gnu-win32.

-- 
Fergus Henderson <fjh AT cs DOT mu DOT oz DOT au>  |  "I have always known that the pursuit
WWW: <http://www.cs.mu.oz.au/~fjh>  |  of excellence is a lethal habit"
PGP: finger fjh AT 128 DOT 250 DOT 37 DOT 3        |     -- the last words of T. S. Garp.
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