Maris,
I committed your first patch to improve the GRASS startup (more robust error trapping, convenience features like automatic mapset selection after creation, etc.).
As we already discussed, I did not commit the second patch dealing with naming restrictions because this needs more discussion and refinement.
Thanks for helping make GRASS easier to begin for users. I, too, feel that the startup is crucial since it is the first thing a new user encounters when she/he starts GRASS for the first time.
Michael
Michael Barton, Professor of Anthropology
School of Human Evolution & Social Change
Center for Social Dynamics & Complexity
Arizona State University
phone: 480-965-6213
fax: 480-965-7671
www: http://www.public.asu.edu/~cmbarton