Re: Netscape: How about some Unix instructions (fwd)

["Matthew C. Thompson" <mattyt@oz.net>]

> 
> Netscape doesn't include any instructions for setting up helper
> apps. w/ unix.  For example, I want to run VRML directly from
> netscape.  Great!  So, I go to preferences/Navigator/Applications
> and create a new mime-type called x-world/x-vrml.  I then tell it that
> this is for extension wrl.  I tell it to execute the shell string
> /usr/local/bin/vrweb -URL '%u' -remote %s.  This is perfect as far
> as I'm concerned.  HOWEVER, what netscape does is truly twisted.
> Instead of just issuing this command string, it genererates
> ((/usr/local/bin/vrweb -URL 'http:/website.com/*.wrl' -remote
> /tmp/MO*.wrl); rm /tmp/MO*.wrl)& and issues that.
> 
> Now this appears to be fine, however, it doesn't execute.  Netscape
> complains:
> 
> sh: -c: line 1: missing closing ')' for arithmetic expression
> sh: -c: line 1: syntax error near unexpected token `;'
> sh: -c: line 1: ((<command line here>); rm /tmp/MO*.wrl)&
> 
> So to humor netscape, I add an extra ')' at the end of my incantation
> which gets rid of errors 1 and 2 BUT replaces them with an error
> which indicates that the & is too close to the ')' and my shell is
> confused.
> 
> WHAT the HELL is going on here???   When they say unsupported, I
> guess they mean truly untested by human hands.  I'm going to start
> downloading .wrl files via amaya and I may just go to using that
> on a permanent basis.
> 
> But if anyone can tell what the heck gives with this stuff, I'd
> be glad to fix my end :)
> 

This is actually a bash-2.0 bug.  If you try:

sh -c "((pwd);pwd)"

you'll see the same errors. But,

sh -c "( (pwd);pwd)"

works well.  Bash incorrectly considers (( to be an
arithmetic expression introducer when really, it's $((. 
This is fixed in bash-2.01 which has not yet been
debianized.  You can bash-2.01 from /pub/gnu at your
favorite mirror.

This bug has already been documented.
See http://www.debian.org/Bugs/db/10598.html

--Bob

*******
ok,

i went and got bash-2.01 and did a ./configure, make and then tried make
install and got the following errors:

mattyt# make install
/usr/bin/install -c bash /usr/local/bin/bash
/usr/bin/install -c bashbug /usr/local/bin/bashbug
( cd ./doc ; make  \
        man1dir=/usr/local/man/man1 man1ext=1 \
        man3dir=/usr/local/man/man3 man3ext=3 \
        infodir=/usr/local/info install )
make[1]: Entering directory `/usr/zips/bash-2.01/doc'
test -d /usr/local/man/man1 || /bin/sh ../support/mkdirs
/usr/local/man/man1
test -d /usr/local/man/man3 || /bin/sh ../support/mkdirs
/usr/local/man/man3
test -d /usr/local/info || /bin/sh ../support/mkdirs /usr/local/info
/usr/bin/install -c -m 644 ./bash.1 /usr/local/man/man1/bash.1
/usr/bin/install -c -m 644 ./bashbug.1 /usr/local/man/man1/bashbug.1
/usr/bin/install -c -m 644 ./bashref.info /usr/local/info/bash.info
if /bin/sh -c 'install-info --version' >/dev/null 2>&1; then \
        install-info --dir-file=/usr/local/info/dir
/usr/local/info/bash.info; \
else true; fi
install-info: unknown option `--dir-file=/usr/local/info/dir'
usage: install-info [--version] [--help] [--debug] [--maxwidth=nnn]
             [--section regexp title] [--infodir=xxx] [--align=nnn]
             [--calign=nnn] [--quiet] [--menuentry=xxx] [--keep-old]
             [--description=xxx] [--test] [--remove] [--] filename
make[1]: *** [install] Error 1
make[1]: Leaving directory `/usr/zips/bash-2.01/doc'
make: [install] Error 2 (ignored)
mattyt# 

????

thanks,
matty


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