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Newsgroups: comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc Path: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au!newshost.carno.net.au!harbinger.cc.monash.edu.au!news.mel.connect.com.au!munnari.OZ.AU!spool.mu.edu!newspump.sol.net!howland.erols.net!newsfeed.internetmci.com!news.webspan.net!ix.netcom.com!netcom.com!stanb From: stanb@netcom.com (Stan Brown) Subject: Re: Serious brain damage in /bin/sh for FreeBSD 2.1.5 Message-ID: <stanbE1t8L7.Cpu@netcom.com> Organization: NETCOM On-line Communication Services (408 261-4700 guest) X-Newsreader: NN version 6.5.0 #3 (NOV) References: <stanbE1M2D2.38I@netcom.com> Date: Mon, 2 Dec 1996 23:43:55 GMT Lines: 47 Sender: stanb@netcom6.netcom.com As the original poster in this thread, I think I need to bring it back to the original problem. /bin/sh in FreeBSD 2.1.5 respects the $ENV variable. As a result of this anything run using this will attempt to source the file pointed to by this environment variable. Not all legal Posix constructs are supported in FreeBSD's /bin/sh. many system functions are performed by scripts that use #!/bin/sh notation. The result of this is that installing a $ENV file thaw works just fine in ksh, or pdksh, but contains functions that are not (yet)supported in /bin/sh, will result in these systems scripts, as a minimum putting out noise to stderr. Here is my 2 cents worth on this. While making /bin/sh just a Bourne compatible shell would fix this problem, it is probably a bad idea, and is certainly contrary to what is being done on commercial UNIX's. The goal of making FreeBSD's /bin/sh Posix compliant is an admirable one. It however cannot be done overnight. Therefore an implementation strategy needs to be thought out. This strategy should have as it's prime goal, to avoid breaking currently working code. Adding additional Posix functionality to /bin/sh should not break any existing code, that I am aware of. Therefor, I would humbly suggest to the developers, that they implement Posix features into /bin/sh at whatever rate they are comfortable with. When /bin/sh is *fully* Posix compliant, then *and only then* should it respect the $ENV variable. IMHO this would result in maximum benefit, with minimum breaking of things that already work. Just my 2 cents worth. -- Stan Brown stanb@netcom.com 404-996-6955 Factory Automation Systems Atlanta Ga. -- Look, look, see Windows 95. Buy, lemmings, buy! Pay no attention to that cliff ahead... Henry Spencer (c) 1996 Stan Brown. Redistribution via the Microsoft Network is prohibited.