On Mon, 10 Jun 2002, Greg A. Woods wrote:

# Ah, WRONG!   These days /bin/sh should be expected to be at least
# POSIX.2 compliant, if not full SuSv2 compliant.  Truly traditional
# Bourne shell is truly unrealistic and very restrictive.

Yep, lack of functions among other things.

# > (this include netbsd's build.sh)
# > Systems that install shells into /bin/sh which are nothing
# > like a bourne shell ought to be deleted (bash is a particularly
# > good example of a bad sh).
#
# Yes, "bash" specific requirements should be bashed out of existance.

Despite the fact that I use bash as a CLI, I happen to agree with this
statement wholeheartedly.  Program to the lowest common denominator.
Any system that cannot handle a shell script written to that denominator
can thus be declared not to be "sane".

# Perhaps you should do a real-world comparison between POSIX.2 and
# SuSv2.  They're really not all that far apart.  Ksh was leading in
# innovations, and for very good reasons.

Nothing to say that hasn't been said.

# > I do (usually) try to write scripts that that a 'proper'
# > bourne sh (eg the solaris one) will run.
#
# Well in that case (i.e. the solaris one), you're already lost.

Oh?  Enlighten us, please.  As a solaris admin for a living, I think
I need to hear this.

# If you were to use /usr/xpg4/bin/sh you'd be much better off.

				--*greywolf;
--
NetBSD is much like a tipi:  No windows, no gates, and an apache inside.