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From: pwolfe@kailand.kai.com (Patrick Wolfe)
Newsgroups: gnu.bash.bug
Subject: putting multiple cmds in bg using &
Message-ID: <8912121932.AA20899@kailand.kai.com>
Date: 12 Dec 89 19:32:27 GMT
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Organization: Kuck and Associates, 1906 Fox Drive, Champaign IL USA 61820, voice 217-356-2288, fax 217-356-5199
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I'm not complaining, just making a note of something that surprised me, and
which may affect other people.

I've found something that acts different in Bash than in Csh (the shell I
previously used).  To place a multiple command list in the background, it is
neccessary to use parens to enclose the command.  For example:

	date ; make ; date &

with Bourne Shell or Bash 1.04, runs the first two commands in the foreground
and the last in the background, where C shell will create a background job
which runs all three commands.  To do the same thing with sh or bash (and
probably ksh too), you must enclose the command list within parens:

	( date ; make ; date ) &

Whoever is writing the documentation might want to mention this as a conversion
aid for folks (like me) who are used to the way C shell works.


-- 

        Patrick Wolfe	(pwolfe@kai.com, ...!kailand!pwolfe)
        System Manager, Kuck & Associates