From: Alan Davies <NOSPAMcs96and@...>
Date: 2003-09-19T01:34:53+09:00
Subject: File.expand_path and ~ on windows

 From the pickaxe book...

 > File.expand_path( fileName [, aDirString ] ) -> fileName
   <snip>
 > The given pathname may start with a ``~'', which expands to the
 > process owner's home directory (the environment variable HOME must be
 > set correctly). "~ user" expands to the named user's home directory"

This isn't relevant on windows.  Thus:

File.expand_path("~foo", "c:/somedir") -> "~foo"

where in fact it should return "c:/somedir/~foo".

Also:

File.expand_path("~", "c:/somedir")

throws up the error "`expand_path': couldn't find HOME environment -- 
expanding `~' (ArgumentError)"

It seems strange that the first example doesn't throw up the same error 
that the second one does.

Can this functionality be disbaled on windows platforms in a future 
version?  Or at least add a parameter to the function call to disable it?

Alan.