[pdftex] why no spaces in filenames?

[Robin Fairbairns]

> why doesn't
> 
>      pdflatex "my file.tex"
> 
> work? isn't that a bug?

tex doesn't do spaces in file names (the syntax it was designed to
implement can't cope with them).  pdftex doesn't change that part of
the syntax, it appears (vtex and iirc y&y tex do).

tex doesn't have (design) bugs[*], it has features.  so no, this isn't
a bug: it's a feature.

anyway, spaces in filenames are the spawn of the devil :+}

[*] there are _still_ (very) occasional implementation bugs.