gwyn@Brl@sri-unix (10/22/82)
From: Doug Gwyn <gwyn@Brl> Date: 19 Oct 82 12:46:27-EDT (Tue) If your "ls" shows all files except "." and "..", then fix it; you have an obsolete "ls". Making "ls" show files beginning with `.' removes the only way there currently is to hide files from a routine "ls". Putting them in a directory does not solve this problem, unless "ls" normally omits directories starting with `.' and you use one of these to hold the files (in which case, what have you gained by the added complexity?). Directory name "lib" is a definite loser anyway -- I know many people (including login "usr") who have "lib" directories in their login directories and who would be greatly inconvenienced by having system files showing up there! If you have turned naive users loose in the standard (or C) shell without having them read the tutorial information (which explains about .profile and .files in general), then you have made an administrative mistake comparable to letting them use & to their heart's content without warning them of the system loading side-effect. Why not just leave .files as they are, for those of us who don't like to be bothered with seeing them when we "ls", and fixing your "ls" if it shows them without the "-a" flag? That should keep both sides relatively happy without breaking the way things currently work.