Bug#294962: Please add "local" to list of supra-POSIX features that /bin/sh can be expected to offer

[Thomas Hood <jdthood@aglu.demon.nl>]

Package: debian-policy
Version: 3.6.1.1
Severity: wishlist

In the changelog entry for xfree86 4.3.0.dfsg.1-11 it is written:

* Stop using the "local" keyword in /bin/sh scripts -- it turns out
  "local" is not POSIX, but posh -n won't tell you that as it doesn't
  do a syntax parse on function bodies, which is the only place that
  keyword makes sense.  Comment out this usage instead of removing it
  as a means of stoking my likely-futile hopes that the Debian Policy
  Manual will carve out another exception to POSIX compliance for
  /bin/sh scripts in this area.  A language with only global scope
  for variables scarcely bears thinking about.

I here report the wish that the "local" feature be added to the list,
in Policy section 10.4, of supra-POSIX features that /bin/sh can be
expected to support.

If this wish were granted then #242011 could be closed.


-- System Information:
Debian Release: 3.1
  APT prefers testing
  APT policy: (500, 'testing'), (50, 'unstable'), (1, 'experimental')
Architecture: i386 (i686)
Kernel: Linux 2.6.10
Locale: LANG=en_IE@euro, LC_CTYPE=en_IE@euro (charmap=ISO-8859-15)

-- no debconf information