Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site opus.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!mgnetp!ihnp4!zehntel!hplabs!hao!cires!nbires!opus!rcd From: rcd@opus.UUCP (Dick Dunn) Newsgroups: net.unix Subject: Symbolic links comments Message-ID: <544@opus.UUCP> Date: Fri, 22-Jun-84 01:27:48 EDT Article-I.D.: opus.544 Posted: Fri Jun 22 01:27:48 1984 Date-Received: Fri, 22-Jun-84 05:15:40 EDT References: <521@noscvax.UUCP> Organization: NBI, Boulder Lines: 27 > Given the command 'ln -s foo foo.sl', which creates a symbolic link >to an arbitrary file foo, >Is there any documentation on which commands operate on foo, and which >operate on foo.sl? >... >How can I determine, other than trial-and-error which commands use >foo.sl and which use foo? I stumbled into a funny recently which suggests that trial-and-error is the only approach which works: If foo.sl is a symbolic link to a directory, ls foo.sl lists the contents of the directory referenced by foo.sl, but ls -l foo.sl shows information about the link itself. I didn't scrounge around to see if this be bug or feature, but the inconsistency is a damned nuisance. Symbolic links also give the file system a property which can take you by surprise: If your current directory is x, and it contains a symbolic link y which refers to another directory, the sequence cd y cd .. does NOT take you back to x. It's obvious enough if you think about it, but it can throw a wrench into a carelessly written script. Symbolic links ARE useful, but they ARE NOT transparent. -- Dick Dunn {hao,ucbvax,allegra}!nbires!rcd (303)444-5710 x3086 ...Cerebus for dictator!