ls doesn't exist everywhere. I didn't see any mentioning in the OP about any particular OS, so it's not safe to assume that the user is on a Unix-alike or something with an ls command (though ppt definitely comes close).
ls -l generates a lot of surplus output besides just the files. Furthermore, the output of ls -l is probably not standardised across different Unix systems.
I agree that using "ls" in backticks is poor style and not to be encouraged. As for point 2, I wonder wether tradez actually intended to use the digit "-1" instead of the letter "-l" (so easy to get these mixed up) -- in any case, the digit "-1" option is of course unnecessary in this context, just as the letter "-l" option is unsuitable. Bad form all around.