Re: executable-find in files.el

[Eli Zaretskii]

> Cc: address@hidden
> From: Stefan Monnier <address@hidden>
> Date: Wed, 11 May 2005 15:07:36 -0400
> 
> > Passing 1 as last arg of locate-file is subtly different from passing
> > file-executable-p.  I think the latter does a better job, so I think
> > executable-find should use file-executable-p.
> 
> Have you read the comment you quoted?

Yes.  But since you obviously didn't read my identical comment posted
in response to your suggestion to do what you just did in this version
of executable-find (or perhaps you read it, but disregarded it), I
posted the same comment again.

> What do you reply to that?

Did you read my message?  That's my answer to it.

> Do you think it's more important to "do a subtly better job" or to "match
> the behavior of call-process"?

I think they should do the same.  But the original executable-find
used file-executable-p, so your change is subtly incompatible, unless
you change openp to use the same method as file-executable-p.

> In my view, the point of executable-find is to figure out whether there is
> a command that we can run.  If it tells us "I found /ssh:foo/bar/baz", but
> then call-process fails because it doesn't work through Tramp, I think it's
> a problem.

I agree.  But the solution should be to make all 3 of these do exactly
the same job in exactly the same way.