Re: zero-length symlinks

[Mouse <mouse%Rodents-Montreal.ORG@localhost>]

> rmind@ points out that it's possible to create zero-length symlinks.

Does this mean "symlinks with zero-length names" or "symlinks with
zero-length link-to strings"?

If you mean the former, then I agree, but the object's being a symlink
has nothing to do with it.

The rest of this email assumes you mean the latter.

> As zero-length symlinks aren't sensible, this should probably be
> prohibited. Does anyone see any reason they shouldn't be?

I think "not sensible" is not a good enough reason to prohibit
something.  "Unix does not prevent you from doing stupid things because
that would also prevent you from doing clever things" - it seems to me
at least moderately likely that someone will (or even has) come up with
some clever use for a zero-length link-to string.

Indeed, I'd say someone already has.  /etc/malloc.conf is a symlink
whose link-to string is not normally used for pathname interpretation;
it would totally make sense to have /etc/malloc.conf be a symlink with
a zero-length link-to string.  (I think in the current implementation
that would be equivalent to not having /etc/malloc.conf at all, but
that may not remain true and may not be true of other such cases.)

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