Ftp-WG: NLST vs MLSD

Frank da Cruz writes:
>  2. But how is the client supposed to know whether it's a directory name
>     when it's in the syntax of the server's file system?

Normal people use _one_ client on _one_ operating system to talk to a
variety of servers. They find client-defined wildcard syntax stable and
comprehensible, while server-defined wildcard syntax is a royal mess.

People who bounce among clients have much bigger interface issues to
deal with than the wildcard syntax.

> What is the new client supposed to do with an argument like "pics/m*.jpg"?

CWD pics and then NLST. This is what ftpfs does. The code is trivial,
because ftpfs works with the wildcard handling in the client OS.

> If MLSD is not for use with MGET then what is it for?  It is not a LIST
> replacement.  LIST is for people, MLSD is for machines.

You are, once again, confusing the client-server communication with the
user-client communication.

> As matters stand, server-side wildcard interpretation
> offers an "escape valve" to users who know what they are doing, that lets
> them accomplish effects that could not be achieved otherwise.

You are, once again, falsely claiming that something is impossible, when
the truth is merely that your broken client doesn't do it. Solution: Fix
your client.

---D. J. Bernstein, Associate Professor, Department of Mathematics,
Statistics, and Computer Science, University of Illinois at Chicago