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Date:      Thu, 29 Jul 1999 13:28:08 -0700
From:      Doug <Doug@gorean.org>
To:        Terry Lambert <tlambert@primenet.com>
Cc:        chat@freebsd.org
Subject:   Re: What to tell to Linux-centric people?!
Message-ID:  <37A0B958.1E4251D6@gorean.org>
References:  <199907292007.NAA29868@usr06.primenet.com>

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Terry Lambert wrote:

> > You can't blame the shell itself if some twit writes a script
> > that's supposed to be portable using non-portable scripting
> > conventions, can you?
> 
> Yes, I can.  Scripting should be, by definition, twit-proof.  No
> exceptions.

	No matter how twit-proof you make something, they will always come up with
a better twit. 
 
> > I'm one of the biggest Bash advocates I know, but whenever I
> > write sh scripts I am very careful to use only standard sh bits.
> 
> Well, you aren't a twit.  8-).

	Not this week anyway. :)
 
> An apt analogy would be to say that the person who dies without
> ever getting into an automobile accident didn't need to use
> seatbelts, and so should have had the option of buying a car
> without them.

	Hmmm... I'm  not sure that I understand your metaphor. It sounds like
you're advocating a "One true shell" approach, with no non-POSIX sh things
added to it. While there might be some merit to it, it's not a very unix-y
thing to advocate. If different shells are bad, how are different unices
good? I strongly believe that you can't blame the tool if the craftsman
uses it improperly. 

> > In fact, Bash is probably the most POSIX compliant shell going,
> > especially when invoked as sh.
> 
> Does this turn off extensions? 

	Yes.

Doug


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