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From: ruck@sphere.UUCP (John R Ruckstuhl Jr)
Newsgroups: unix-pc.bugs,comp.sys.att
Subject: 3b1 ksh v1.8 bug?
Keywords: 3b1 ksh bug
Message-ID: <195@sphere.UUCP>
Date: 18 Mar 90 04:47:11 GMT
Followup-To: unix-pc.bugs
Organization: Private; Colorado Springs, CO
Lines: 30

In a directory of ~70 compressed files, I am searching each file 
(uncompressed) for a string.  
The following !succeeds! when in a file and executed as "sh file" or
"ksh file", or when typed at the prompt of an interactive "sh",
but !fails! when typed at the prompt of an interactive "ksh".

Specifically, when typed at the prompt of "ksh", this command outputs
~5 false-positives (arbitrary in that I notice no correlation between 
the false-positives of different executions).

    for I in *; do 
        if zcat $I | grep '^OMess' > /dev/null; then 
            echo $I 
        fi 
    done

Apparently, the status tested by the "if" statement is unreliable in my
interactive "ksh".  Please help me understand why/how this can occur.  
Is this a manifestation of a known bug -- if so, is there a known 
solution? Thank you for any help.

sphere is a 3b1 with OS 3.51, Development Set 3.5, compress 4.0.
"what" shows
/bin/ksh:
	ksh/sh:msg.c	1.2
	 ksh:ksh.sl 1.8 
/bin/sh:
	 brnsh:brnsh.sl 1.8 
-- 
John R Ruckstuhl, Jr	...!hplabs!hp-lsd!sphere!ruck