> Wrong.  "./abc" is an absolute path, "./" and "../" and their
> composites are abbreviations.

This misconception appears to be the root of your confusion.  "." and
".." do not an absolute path make.  They are just directory entries
which mean "don't go anywhere" and "go up one level".  Consider how
"foo/./bar" and "foo/../bar" work.

The PATH behavior you object to has been standard Unix behavior for a
long time, for good or for ill.  Plan 9 made a different decision,
which is fine because Plan 9 was explicitly not trying to be
compatible with prior Unix systems.  But NetBSD is trying to be
compatible, and it would be ludicrous for NetBSD to diverge on this
point.