From: Joel Becker Date: Mon, 14 Nov 2005 18:59:49 GMT Subject: Re: ./configure script prototype Message-ID: <20051114185949.GE20749@ca-server1.us.oracle.com> In-Reply-To: On Mon, Nov 14, 2005 at 10:39:26AM -0800, Linus Torvalds wrote: > > ${i# and ${i% are POSIX, iirc. > > They may be in POSIX, but they sure as h*ll aren't portable. By POSIX I meant POSIX shell, which is ksh. That's available on just about all modern non-free Unices, and we all know bash and zsh are compatible with it. But I had no intention of arguing how portable POSIX is, I was just trying to describe the minimum breadth of support. My personal experience is that these particular variable forms have worked on Linux, Solaris, AIX, Ultrix, IRIX, and the BSDs for, I dunno, eight to ten years or so. That said, $(echo | sed), or `echo | sed` for even more backwards portability (I bet $() is about as portable as ${i%}), can be used to replace the ${i%} forms. Joel -- "I always thought the hardest questions were those I could not answer. Now I know they are the ones I can never ask." - Charlie Watkins Joel Becker Principal Software Developer Oracle E-mail: joel.becker@oracle.com Phone: (650) 506-8127