>> More global question is why there is _easy_ way to obtain
 >> pipe status in standard /bin/sh but this is offtop here I thinks :(

> Search for "comp.unix.shell FAQ pipestatus".  There's a function in
> there that provides you with the equivalent of bash's PIPESTATUS.  It
> ain't pretty, though...

Hm. I found it
http://unix.derkeiler.com/Newsgroups/comp.unix.shell/2005-06/1079.html.
I saw variant 11c) years ago, but it is so ugly...  Variant 11d) is
new for me, but it does not seem portable and is extreamly tricky ;( I
also found pipestatus variable in zsh there (it is not mentioned in
.info manual). Thanks a lot.

But what about _easy_ embedding to PS1 in ksh?

-- 
Best regards, Aleksey Cheusov.