Re: [Emacs-diffs] master 4d3a595: `load-path' should contain only directory names

[Random832]

Richard Stallman <address@hidden> writes:
> I took care to make that distinction clear.
> If people have let it become fuzzy, let's clear it up.

I don't think it's a matter of the documentation being unclear, though
it'd certainly be _more_ clear if it still had the VMS examples. I think
what people don't get is the core concept.

On most operating systems that are relevant today, a string with "/"
already appended is just a string manipulation convenience, and not
really something that exists as a codified idea outside of Emacs. More
complex filename models (such as the VMS example) only appear in a few
niche operating systems, absolutely none of which Emacs supports
anymore.

To a modern user's eye, "directory file name" parses as "directory
filename" and looks like it ought to be a synonym of "directory name".

> The elements of 'load-path' (and every ...-path variable)
> should properly be directory names, not file names.

Apparently not exec-path. Which is a perfectly illustrative example,
because it shows how on POSIX-like OSes, anywhere you can store a
string representing a directory, the slash is entirely optional.