Re: bash 5: globstar (sometimes) no longer prints symlinks to directories

[Greg Wooledge]

On Mon, Apr 08, 2019 at 12:57:52PM -0400, Eli Schwartz wrote:
> #bash pointed out to me that **/* will do what I want on both bash 4 and
> bash 5, but I'm afraid I totally don't understand what the rules of
> globstar are supposed to be, or whether changes to the output are
> intended. The behavior also doesn't really seem to correspond to the
> manpage.

The language in the man page seems to be copied directly from ksh.
Under "File Name Generation", ksh(1) says:

              ∗      Matches any string, including the null string.  When used
                     for filename expansion, if the globstar option is on, two
                     adjacent  ∗'s  by itself will match all files and zero or
                     more directories and subdirectories.  If followed by a  /
                     then only directories and subdirectories will match.

And bash(1) says:

              globstar
                      If set, the pattern ** used in a pathname expansion con‐
                      text  will  match all files and zero or more directories
                      and subdirectories.  If the pattern is followed by a  /,
                      only directories and subdirectories match.

I don't really understand what "all files and zero or more directories
and subdirectories" means either.  Whatever the end result is, I hope the
man page can be made a bit more clear.