From: Ronald Fischer <ronald.fischer@...>
Date: 2007-07-03T17:46:43+09:00
Subject: Re: Feature Request: Special file '-' denoting stdin/stdout

> This creates some awful situations, like having a file called '-' and
> doing ./script * . I'm against it - it's a hack.

I think that's why people try to avoid filenames like "-" at all. You
run into
the same problem if you do for example one of

  grep foo *
  tail -f -   # Reads from stdin. Use tail -f <- to read from file '-'

At least this is true if you are working in a "Gnu environment" (Linux,
Cygwin,...);
I don't know about Solaris or HP-UX.

For similar reasons, we usually avoid filenames containing spaces,
non-printable
characters and so on, even if they are perfectly valid.

Of course the "Magic '-'" feature, if it would ever go into Ruby, must
not be
there unconditionally; the programmer still needs to be in control on
whether
or not she wants to have it implemented (this could maybe be done by
providing a
separate "open" call, say: File.open_magic_dash).

Ronald