[Python-Dev] Path object design

[Greg Ewing]

Mike Orr wrote:

>> * This is confusing as heck:
>>   >>> os.path.join("hello", "/world")
>>   '/world'

It's only confusing if you're not thinking of
pathnames as abstract entities.

There's a reason for this behaviour -- it's
so you can do things like

   full_path = os.path.join(default_dir, filename_from_user)

where filename_from_user can be either a relative
or absolute path at his discretion.

In other words, os.path.join doesn't just mean "join
these two paths together", it means "interpret the
second path in the context of the first".

Having said that, I can see there could be an
element of confusion in calling it "join".

--
Greg