Re: [BUG ?] '' on command line produces XYZ: is a directory

[Chet Ramey]

> Typing '' (pair of single/double quotes) at the BASH prompt produces the
> funny error:
> bash: /usr/local/sbin/: is a directory
> 
> where /usr/local/sbin/ is the first entry in the path. Now is it part of
> any specs ? I guess a pair of quotes should not be treated as a command
> (as it's an empty string), and bash should ignore it as whitespace,
> rather than trying to execute the path :-)

Why?  Bash is trying to execute what you told it to.

> Alternatively a command not found message can be given (but then it'd say
> bash:: command not found !!)

nike.ins.cwru.edu(2)$ ./bash
nike.ins.cwru.edu(3)$ ''
bash: : command not found
nike.ins.cwru.edu(3)$ echo $BASH_VERSION
2.05a.0(516)-release

-- 
``The lyf so short, the craft so long to lerne.'' - Chaucer
( ``Discere est Dolere'' -- chet)

Chet Ramey, CWRU    chet@po.CWRU.Edu    http://cnswww.cns.cwru.edu/~chet/