On 10 February 2012 18:25, Chris Siebenmann <c...@cs.toronto.edu> wrote: > | > €I'm coming in late to an ongoing discussion: it sounds like there's > | > something wrong with Byron's version of rc apart from being written from > | > scratch for Unix (and not quite implementing Plan 9 rc syntax, since it > | > doesn't have 'if not'). Do you have a pointer to where I could read more > | > about this? > | > | I'm not aware of a an in-depth analysis of all differences, but the > | main ones are: > | > | - Byron introduced the export keyword > | - Byron broke the default syntax with the else keyword (vs if not) > | - Byron does not export functions into the environment > | - Byron does not export variables into the environment > | - No rcmain counterpart in Byrons version > | > | I'm sure I have missed some other aspects. > > Hmm, something is odd here. I am a long-term user of the Byron version > of rc (I started using it when it was the only choice for an rc-like > thing on Unix), and the main version I have used and always seen does > not have an export keyword and automatically exports functions and > variables into the environment[*]. It does have the two defects of else > vs 'if not' and not having an rcmain. > > (I just grabbed the rc-1.7.1 source from http://rc-shell.slackmatic.org/ > and verified this in the manpage.) > > If there is some mutant version of Byron's rc with these three things, > it is, well, surprisingly mutant. I'd go so far as to call it mutilated.
Ok, I might have consumed my Byron rc hacks that resulted in an obscure rci version (about 10 years ago) with Byrons version. I apologize for remembering this wrong and take back the two accusations. > [Another difference between Byron rc and Plan 9 rc is that Byron rc > can run a function every time before the prompt is printed; I don't > think this is part of Plan 9 rc, or at least I can't find it in the > manpage.] Ok, good point. Thanks, Anselm
