Assume that $file eq '.'

(($file ne ".") or ($file ne ".."))
(('.' ne ".") or ('.' ne ".."))
((FALSE) or (TRUE))

$file eq '..' is left as an exercise for the reader.

In general, if you have ((X <> A) || (X <> B)) (unless you have a dualstate quantum variable of some sort), you will end up with (TRUE || FALSE), (FALSE || TRUE), or (TRUE || TRUE), all of which reduce to TRUE.

Update: You may also want to see -X to test if a directory entry is actually a file that you can open.

--MidLifeXis

The tomes, scrolls etc are dusty because they reside in a dusty old house, not because they're unused. --hangon in this post

In reply to Re: This is why Perl is so frustrating by MidLifeXis
in thread This is why Perl is so frustrating by eggmatters

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