[no subject]

[Robert L. Krawitz <RLK at MIT-OZ>]

In ZWEI in System 98.80, CADR 3.10, ZMail 53.19, MIT-Specific 22.5,
microcode 309, ZM MIT gc*2, on Ford Prefect:

This keeps happening to me.  It's a problem with logical devices on
twenex.

The default file name in zwei was ee:ps:<le.foo.bar>bletch.baz.  I
wanted to save something to ee:lpt: (in other words, to the printer).
It came back with error invalid wildcard designator in
ee:lpt:<le.foo.bar>bletch.baz.  I then tried ee:lpt:<> and it came back
with error ee:lpt:<>bletch.baz.  ee:lpt:<>..0 failed on
ee:lpt:<>*buffer-2*..0.  It took some hair to make it work.

Sorry, no backtrace -- the window it tried to use to mail that bug
report was arrested in some hairy fashion and wouldn't unarrest even
with the mouse, system menu, etc.

1)  WHY does it try be so fancy with the logical names?  It tries to be
so lazy-mode with defaulting that it refuses to accept the possibility
that I @i(want) a null directory or filename string.  The fact that this
is a special case is no excuse -- it should accept special cases
gracefully.  It shouldn't default unless the user explicitly hits the
altmode key.  Automatic defaulting loses when someone doesn't want
something to default.  Twenex at least handles it right -- if you don't
type anything it assumes you don't want it.  If I can set up a backtrace
I will.

2)  I have similar types of lossage with all the logical names I have
defined (i. e. one for each directory).  So if I ask for a dired for
bit: which is <zzz.rlk.bitnet> it tries to dired bit:<zzz.rlk> and does
oz:<zzz.rlk>.  Why can't it assume I mean what I tell it?  Even if the
spec I give it isn't technically correct for twenex, it shouldn't assume
that I mean something different from what I tell it.  If I ask for
completion it can always do it THEN.

Robert^Z