Re: [PATCH] test-lib: avoid full path to store test results

From: Stefano Lattarini <stefano.lattarini@gmail.com>
Date: Oct 31, 2012, 09:05 UTC
Message-ID: <5090E9D7.1010706@gmail.com>
In-Reply-To: <CA+EOSBmTjwmf+dO-dgU+rGQaVEKDZw7u9ujrh5jYZkPM2zisOA@mail.gmail.com>

On 10/30/2012 11:17 PM, Elia Pinto wrote:

> Thanks. I know that posix support these usages, but exists some
> traditional shell that not support it.
>

True, but those shells are not POSIX shells -- the major example that comes to mind is the accursed Solaris /bin/sh.

Since Git assumes a POSIX shell in its scripts and testsuite, use of any POSIX feature should be fine -- until someone can show a real-world POSIX shell that (likely due to a bug) fails to grasp such feature, in which case a "pragmatic" workaround is needed.

Oh, and BTW, there are talks (and mostly consensus) among the Autotools developers to start requiring a POSIX shell in the configure scripts and Makefile recipes in the near future:

  <http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/bug-autoconf/2012-06/msg00009.html>

And also, related:

  <http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/automake/2012-08/msg00046.html>
  <http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/coreutils/2012-10/msg00127.html>

>These are described in the
> autoconf manual, last time i have checked. As the construct ; export
> var = x should be portable, but it is not.
>

I don't think POSIX requires that to be portable.

> If this is important these days i don't know.
>

I hope the above helps to clarify the matter a little.

Regards,
  Stefano