On 10/11/07, Aaron C. de Bruyn <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Ok--I'm sorry, but none of what you said made any sense to me. > > > I don't see the point why filenames needs to be tab-completed on default, it > > does it when it's necessary. > > I'm asking why tab-completion changed from allowing tab-completion of EVERY > file to being restricted. > It sounds like you are asking why it needs to be on at all. > > My response to that is that it is a feature that people like and use. It's > been that way for as long as I can remember. At least 8 years. > > > > Filenames does tab-complete on certain tasks and applications, depending on > > what are you trying to accomplish? > > Is that a question or statement? > > Yes, you hit tab to complete certain commands and filenames. It seems like > Ubuntu is trying to be helpful by showing you only the things it thinks you > need. > > > For example, certain applications that require an input needs to > > tab-complete a filename on it's parameters (i.e. rsync), and > > executable files like python, perl, ruby & bash scripts would need > > tab-completion to execute. > > Yes, that is why there is tab completion--because there are so many Linux > command that take filenames as parameters. > > > If you really want to autocomplete your filenames, you might as well make > > your files executable, > > So you are saying I should chmod +x all my videos, pictures, and music files > in order to use tab-completion. That's an even worse solution. They aren't > executable files. They are data files that need to be interpreted BY > programs that I execute. > > > and lastly why do you think this is necessary? > > Why do I think what is necessary? Tab completion? Disabling the new > restrictions to tab-completion? Being able to use a feature that has been in > bash forever but was recently (in my opinion) crippled?
I think you are completely misunderstanding each other here... Aaron was writing about filename completion as in "mplayer filename" NOT as in using "filename" as a command!!! I would like also to add a few comments on bash_completion: as far as I know it is disabled by default in /etc/bash.bashrc (and BTW I always enable it here, with a few other things and this gets in the way when the ubuntu package introduces a new version of the config file.. A solution like /etc/bash.bashrc.local (similar to vimrc.local) would be great...) Then the default .bashrc for the users enables it (and duplicates most of /etc/bash.bashrc) I do not really love this solution, but if you do not like this behaviour, all you have to do is to comment out / delete a couple of lines in your .bashrc :) And to try to make you change your mind, here is why I love bash_completion: as said earlier it has context-dependent completion: - filenames with the expected extension only (which is your only problem with it) - options of many programs: mplayer, apt-get, makefiles... - option-dependant filename completion: after "mplayer " it completes only audio/video filenames but after "mplayer file.avi -sub " it completes only subtitle filenames which is great... - very smart completion: hostnames after ssh thanks to the content of your .ssh/knownhosts (which does not work with more recently added hosts as the hostname is no more written explicitely...), package names on apt-get --install and even INSTALLED packages names on apt-get --remove So the question is: should it stop filtering filenames by extensions ? I do not think so as having an extension is always helpfull as an hint and a good practice even if they are much less relevant under linux. A lot of program use them anyway: try to gunzip a file NOT name file.gz for exemple... And mplayer (and others like totem) automatically select a subtitle with the same filename than the currently played video file (except the extension obviously). I really think that you should use extensions (but not completely rely on them) and have fun with a much smaller/smarter completion list in bash ;) Anyway some special way to ask bash to bypass the extension-filtering in some cases would be great. Something like <shift><tab> maybe (sorry if this already exists!). This way you get a smart filter for most case and keep the completion for your extension-less files ;) PS: really sorry for such a long comment... -- Aurélien Naldi -- Ubuntu-devel-discuss mailing list Ubuntu-devel-discuss@lists.ubuntu.com Modify settings or unsubscribe at: https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-devel-discuss
