Re: [PATCH 1/3] git-bisect: war on "sed"

From: Miles Bader <miles.bader@necel.com>
Date: Nov 15, 2007, 12:59 UTC
Message-ID: <buooddvekb3.fsf@dhapc248.dev.necel.com>
In-Reply-To: <861war4uzp.fsf@lola.quinscape.zz>

David Kastrup <dak@gnu.org> writes:

Show 9 quoted lines

>> For typical straightforward usage, there seems little problem.
>>
>> [The main portability problems I've actually _noticed_ with sed are
>> the "-e" versus ";" issue and what happens with "\n" in various
>> contexts...]
>
> What about character classes containing the pattern delimiter, \+, \?,
> \|, nested grouping, anchors in groups, * after groups?  That's all
> rather straightforward usage.

You're right that the regexp stuff is not really "dusty corners", but none of those affect typical sed usage I think -- most sed usage being really rather simple (and the old "regexps differ between traditional unix tools" issue tends to dampen enthusiasm for really complex regexps with those tools).

I looked over the various random uses of sed I have locally (a couple of hundred instances), and the only thing which would potentially affect any of them would be the SVR3 thing about no nested groups (does anybody actually care about SVR3 though?!?).

-Miles

-- 
Yo mama's so fat when she gets on an elevator it HAS to go down.