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From: mje@olsa99.UUCP (Mark J Elkins)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.shell
Subject: Bourne Vs Korn
Message-ID: <2393@olsa99.UUCP>
Date: 10 Sep 90 13:34:48 GMT
Reply-To: mje@olsa99.UUCP (Mark J Elkins)
Organization: Unix Commercial - Olivetti Africa
Lines: 22

I've been playing around with the MAILPATH variable in the shell.

This is used to specify other 'files' you want monitored and also
provides a mechanism to give a different message from 'You have mail'
for each monitored file.  The format is 
'file to check:file to check#message to print:file to check#message to print'
...  where the '#' is either a '%' or a '?'.

It is a '%' for the bourne shell and looking at the source - the '%'
character is the only allowed character.  In the Korn shell, a '?' is
used instead - although '%' is also catered for - however - reading
the style of the source - it looks like the compatability with
Bournes '%' was put in as an afterthought.

Reading my Sys V Rel 4.0 Manuals - nothing has changed. 

Question - why the difference anyway?
(or was it a slip-up?)
-- 
  .  .     ___. .__      Olivetti Systems & Networks, Unix Support - Africa
 /| /|       / /__       UUCP: {uunet,olgb1,olnl1}!olsa99!mje (Mark Elkins)
/ |/ |ARK \_/ /__ LKINS  mje@olsa99.UUCP (Postmaster) Tel: +27 11 339 9093