On 26 Apr 2022, at 12.11, Steffen M��rcker <merkste@web.de> wrote:

I can only fully agree to Richard's explanation. Also, not having the empty string pre/suf-fixing every string breaks the free monoid that describes concatenation of strings and forms the basis of regular expressions. In effect, this will lead to subtle inconsistencies. Hence, I consider this a bug rather than a feature.

Kind regards,
Steffen