GNU bug report logs - #31353
ls-quotes: ls unexpectedly quoting filenames

Previous Next

To add a comment to this bug, you must first unarchive it, by sending
a message to control AT debbugs.gnu.org, with unarchive 31353 in the body.
You can then email your comments to 31353 AT debbugs.gnu.org in the normal way.

Toggle the display of automated, internal messages from the tracker.

Message #5 received at submit <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: billy noah <billynoah <at> gmail.com>
To: bug-coreutils <at> gnu.org
Subject: ls unexpectedly quoting filenames
Date: Wed, 2 May 2018 22:38:03 -0400

[Message part 1 (text/plain, inline)]

In a clean installation of Ubuntu 18.04 suddenly ls has defaulted to
quoting filenames with tilde ~, spaces and other characters which may
require escaping.  Some extended discussion can be found here:
https://unix.stackexchange.com/questions/258679/why-is-ls-suddenly-wrapping-items-with-spaces-in-single-quotes

Please revert this to the decades old standard behaviour.  No one seems to
like this new behaviour and it has only led to mass confusion.  Having the
new quoted style as an option would be fine but it should not be the
default.  Please and thank you.

- Billy Noah

[Message part 2 (text/html, inline)]

Message #8 received at 31353 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Paul Eggert <eggert <at> cs.ucla.edu>
To: billy noah <billynoah <at> gmail.com>, 31353 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#31353: ls unexpectedly quoting filenames
Date: Wed, 2 May 2018 23:01:12 -0700

billy noah wrote:

> No one seems to
> like this new behaviour
I like the new behavior. The old behavior had security problems, since file 
names with unusual characters could confuse users into thinking that the file 
system was X when it really was Y.  The new behavior avoids these problems, and 
so is safer and more predictable.  You can resurrect the old behavior, if you 
like, by using a shell script called 'ls' that invokes /usr/bin/ls with the 
settings you prefer.  However, the default settings should be safe, not risky.

Message #11 received at 31353 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Bernhard Voelker <mail <at> bernhard-voelker.de>
To: Paul Eggert <eggert <at> cs.ucla.edu>, billy noah <billynoah <at> gmail.com>,
 31353 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#31353: ls unexpectedly quoting filenames
Date: Thu, 3 May 2018 13:56:00 +0200

On 05/03/2018 08:01 AM, Paul Eggert wrote:
> I like the new behavior.

+1

Message #14 received at 31353 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: billy noah <billynoah <at> gmail.com>
To: Paul Eggert <eggert <at> cs.ucla.edu>
Cc: 31353 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#31353: ls unexpectedly quoting filenames
Date: Thu, 3 May 2018 07:16:10 -0400

[Message part 1 (text/plain, inline)]

Ok I stand corrected about no one liking it.  But I just read upwards of
100 comments on that linked SO question and I don't recall a single person
speaking up in favor of the new behaviour.  While you may have a point
about security issues, the new default should probably be a user selectable
option, not the default.  Have you conducted any kind of poll to determine
what the vast majority of users prefer?  Can you please illustrate a
scenario where non-quoted filenames would be a security issue?

On Thu, May 3, 2018 at 2:01 AM, Paul Eggert <eggert <at> cs.ucla.edu> wrote:

> billy noah wrote:
>
> No one seems to
>> like this new behaviour
>>
> I like the new behavior. The old behavior had security problems, since
> file names with unusual characters could confuse users into thinking that
> the file system was X when it really was Y.  The new behavior avoids these
> problems, and so is safer and more predictable.  You can resurrect the old
> behavior, if you like, by using a shell script called 'ls' that invokes
> /usr/bin/ls with the settings you prefer.  However, the default settings
> should be safe, not risky.
>

[Message part 2 (text/html, inline)]

Message #21 received at 31353-done <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Assaf Gordon <assafgordon <at> gmail.com>
To: billy noah <billynoah <at> gmail.com>, 31353-done <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#31353: ls unexpectedly quoting filenames
Date: Thu, 13 Dec 2018 13:30:02 -0700

Hello,

On 2018-05-02 8:38 p.m., billy noah wrote:
> In a clean installation of Ubuntu 18.04 suddenly ls has defaulted to
> quoting filenames with tilde ~, spaces and other characters which may
> require escaping.  Some extended discussion can be found here:
> https://unix.stackexchange.com/questions/258679/why-is-ls-suddenly-wrapping-items-with-spaces-in-single-quotes
> 

We created a summary of common issues and FAQs
regarding the quoting change in ls(1):
  https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/quotes.html

If there is an issue that is not addressed there,
please send an email to coreutils <at> gnu.org .

regards,
 - assaf

Previous Next

GNU bug tracking system
Copyright (C) 1999 Darren O. Benham, 1997,2003 nCipher Corporation Ltd, 1994-97 Ian Jackson.