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From: mouse@thunder.mcrcim.mcgill.edu (der Mouse)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.questions
Subject: Re: What does this sh script line do?
Message-ID: <1991Jun11.045504.26169@thunder.mcrcim.mcgill.edu>
Date: 11 Jun 91 04:55:04 GMT
References: <1991Jun06.172119.19494@ka3ovk>
Organization: McGill Research Centre for Intelligent Machines
Lines: 28

In article <1991Jun06.172119.19494@ka3ovk>, albers@ka3ovk (Jon Albers) writes:

[trying to install C news on a system with an oooold sh]

> . ${NEWSCONFIG-/usr/lib/news/bin/config}

> It blows up on this line with the error 'Bad substitution', however,
> under SCO UNIX, it work just fine.  What is it supposed to be doing?

$NEWSCONFIG unless $NEWSCONFIG is not set, in which case
/usr/lib/news/bin/config.

Given the usage, you could do something like

if [ "x$NEWSCONFIG" = "x" ]; then
	NEWSCONFIG=/usr/lib/news/bin/config
fi
. $NEWSCONFIG

(This is not a general replacement for the ${name-string} syntax; it's
not supposed to be.  It's supposed to be something that *might* be good
enough to get C news running for the original poster.)

					der Mouse

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