Now at last beginning to use coda on the mac, I just wish to point out
  that a typical Mac is full of file and directory names containing
  spaces.

  In these quite frequent cases, "spy" creates lists that "hoard"
  doesn't accept. Am I supposed to add ""'s around the filenames ?

Probably.  Arguably spy should quote such unfriendly file names, or
any file name with odd characters.  (Note that bash inserts quoting
when completing such names.)

-- 
        Greg Troxel <gdt_at_ir.bbn.com>