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From: tony@oha.UUCP (Tony Olekshy)
Newsgroups: comp.windows.x
Subject: Re: Why does xterm use $SHELL if available and not /etc/passwd
Message-ID: <465@oha.UUCP>
Date: 11 Dec 90 00:38:52 GMT
References: <9012091709.AA15172@Larry.McRCIM.McGill.EDU>
Organization: Olekshy Hoover & Associates Ltd., Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Lines: 18
In-Reply-To: Message <9012091709.AA15172@Larry.McRCIM.McGill.EDU> dated 9 Dec 90 17:09:48 GMT

Interactive programs should use $SHELL, if available, to decide where to
pass shell commands *entered*by*the*user*.  That's what it's there for.

Some makefiles get confused if $SHELL isn't /bin/sh, which is a bug in make,
but you can use SHELL=/bin/sh in the Makefile as a simple workaround.

The Makefile usage of SHELL should not interfere with the interactive
program's use of SHELL, unless the Makefile passes it to the compiler with
-DSHELL= *and* the program uses this value, which it clearly shouldn't.

After all, the whole purpose of environment variables is to separate run-time
configuration information from the compile-time state of the environment.

--
Yours etc., Tony Olekshy.       Internet: tony%oha@CS.UAlberta.CA
				  BITNET: tony%oha.uucp@UALTAMTS.BITNET
				    uucp: alberta!oha!tony
Blowing is not playing the flute, you must make use of your fingers.--Goethe