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Re: [PATCH] latest ash has broken 'echo' command



On Sun, Oct 24, 1999 at 03:00:06PM +0200, Marek Habersack wrote:
>
> somebody *else's* - both of you make decisions based on a) standard, b)
> common practice, d) environment the product is intended for. a) is POSIX
> which allows for -n/-e, b) requires the two switches to be present for a

a) POSIX forbits -e, it leaves -n to the implementation.

b) depends where you are from.

> huge base of scripts to work, d) Debian/GNU Linux supports the switches in
> each and every shell in the distribution - you mustn't break the status quo,
> and the environment for a sake of strict compliance with a required part of
> the standard which otherwise allows the variations to exist.

Before ash appeared, Debian/GNU Linux supported stuff like the function
keyword, {} substitution, and a host of other things.  That certainly did
not give me any impetus to do those things in ash.  Why should this be any
different?

>
> > Our policy currently requires #!/bin/sh scripts to be POSIX compliant.  If
> > you don't like it, then get it changed.  But when that is done, it will be no
> > longer possible use anything other than bash as /bin/sh.
>
> But scripts using -n *are* POSIX compliant *if* they account for the
> possibility that the argument might not be implemented in some shell. 

If they accounted for it, then they wouldn't mind ash changing its behaviour.
-- 
Debian GNU/Linux 2.1 is out! ( http://www.debian.org/ )
Email:  Herbert Xu ~{PmV>HI~} <herbert@gondor.apana.org.au>
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