Xref: utzoo comp.unix.wizards:19400 comp.unix.questions:17815
Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!cbmvax!amix!ag
From: ag@amix.commodore.com (Keith Gabryelski)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.wizards,comp.unix.questions
Subject: Re: Question about GETOPT(3)
Message-ID: <110@amix.commodore.com>
Date: 19 Nov 89 04:03:10 GMT
References: <7043@ficc.uu.net>
Reply-To: ag@amix.commodore.com (Keith Gabryelski)
Organization: Commodore Amix Development
Lines: 22

In article <7043@ficc.uu.net> peter@ficc.uu.net (Peter da Silva) writes:
>What syntax should the shell use for /dev/stdin?
>	command &1		# stdout is an argument to command.

'&' in the shell is an actual separator of commands, that is:

	command1 & command2

will execute command1 in the background then command2 (in the foreground).

	command >&1

does not break '&' normal use because it is used in the twople '>&' that is,
no white space can be used between the '>' and the '&', thus no ambiguity.

I doubt the general usefullness of having the shell expand any sequence of
symbols to '/dev/stdin' (except in globbing: /dev/stdi* :-).  This seems
like a job for programable function keys or possibly a typing tutor :-).

Pax, Keith
-- 
ag@amix.commodore.com        Keith Gabryelski          ...!cbmvax!amix!ag