Re: [Emacs-diffs] master 0528a7c: Ensure that expand-file-name returns an absolute file name

[Stefan Monnier]

> It isn't entirely arbitrary.

I'd have gone with "/", but I also consider that as arbitrary: I don't
think there can be a non-arbitrary choice here, other than signaling
an error because we don't have any information that can give us a hint
about what was the intended absolute directory.

> I think expand-file-name should try to avoid signaling an error as
> much as possible, because it is called by many primitives and core
> functions.  If we signal an error, we risk getting the users into a
> situation where they cannot even shut down Emacs, let alone do
> something less trivial.

A relative default-directory is something extremely rare, so if some
operations like C-x C-c fail in that case I wouldn't mind.


        Stefan