Bug#490605: debian-policy: please discourage the usage of echo -n, and echo in general
On Monday 14 July 2008 03:52:34 Giacomo A. Catenazzi wrote:
[...]
> For echo:
> http://kerneltrap.org/man/linux/man1p/echo.1p
OpenGroup version:
http://www.opengroup.org/onlinepubs/009695399/utilities/echo.html
>
> I don't think this bug need to be address, for the following reasons:
>
> - I don't find debian scripts which uses escapes (but one of mine
> package in stable, on the non-debian support part)
If by "debian scripts" you mean maintainer scripts, I remember seeing some of
those; if you mean "scripts shipped in/by Debian" then there are many of
those.
A good start point is:
http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/pkgreport.cgi?users=debian-release@lists.debian.org&tag=goal-dash
Example:
http://bugs.debian.org/530041
>
> Eventually policy could state that escapes should not be used
> in echo.
>
> - "-n" is so wide used, that other solution will create more bugs!
>
> Anyway, no user should use "echo -n" to print "-n" (POSIX
> discurages it), so again, it is a non-problem.
The idea is to explicitely discourage its usage, not to forbid it.
>
> note: it can is very easy corrected by wrapper (or shell alias)
>
> - I think the debian script are is outside POSIX scope:
> - the system is not completely up, so POSIX commands and
> support is incomplete.
> Anyway the init.d scripts use usually other non-portable
> command (i.e. mount), so
> - the installation of program is also outside POSIX scope:
> it modify system in a manner not allowed by portable
> scripts.
> So, IMHO, there is noway to have debian script compatible
> 100% to posix.
Those arguments are irrelevant, as this is not about being fully POSIX
conformant. Even if the script is run inside an initramfs which uses
busybox's sh it is mandated by policy, and if it declares it is a /bin/sh
script then it must conform to whatever policy dictates it must.
Regards,
--
Raphael Geissert - Debian Maintainer
www.debian.org - get.debian.net
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