Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!VAX1.CC.UAKRON.EDU!mcs.kent.edu!usenet.ins.cwru.edu!ncoast!allbery
From: allbery@NCoast.ORG (Brandon S. Allbery KB8JRR)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.shell
Subject: Re: Finding the last arg
Message-ID: <1991Jan5.030543.21658@NCoast.ORG>
Date: 5 Jan 91 03:05:43 GMT
References: <18476@shlump.nac.dec.com> <3074@wyse.wyse.com> <1991Jan2.174157.21530@usenet.ins.cwru.edu>
Reply-To: allbery@ncoast.ORG (Brandon S. Allbery KB8JRR)
Followup-To: comp.unix.shell
Organization: North Coast Computer Resources (ncoast)
Lines: 28

As quoted from <1991Jan2.174157.21530@usenet.ins.cwru.edu> by chet@odin.INS.CWRU.Edu (Chet Ramey):
+---------------
| Here's a short list of what was added to the v7 sh for the System V.2 sh:
| 
| colon form of parameter substitution to test for nullness of a variable
| set --
| numeric parameter to the shift builtin
| restricted shell mode
+---------------

Those four were in the System III /bin/sh.

+---------------
| System V shell includes `newgrp' as a builtin.  As of 4.3 BSD, the BSD sh
| accepts # as a comment only when non-interactive.
+---------------

Silliness.  I disliked this in csh, I devoutly hope AT&T didn't pick it up for
V.4 /bin/sh.  Why should # be a comment only when noninteractive?  There are
valid reasons to use comments during interactive sessions --- *especially*
under BSD, which has a working (read: pty-based) "script" command....

++Brandon
-- 
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