Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!samsung!uunet!zephyr.ens.tek.com!uw-beaver!ssc-vax!bcsaic!paula
From: paula@bcsaic.UUCP (Paul Allen)
Newsgroups: comp.os.minix
Subject: shell bug
Keywords: Bourne shell bug
Message-ID: <50556@bcsaic.UUCP>
Date: 27 Jun 91 02:16:17 GMT
Organization: Boeing Computer Services ATC, Seattle
Lines: 56

While working my way through the perl 4.0 Configure script, I
discovered that the Minix shell chokes on a construct like:

	for n do
	  whatever
	done

It complains about a syntax error.  My V7 documentation says
that "for n do" is equivalent to "for n in $@ do".  "$@" expands
to the entire argument list, or "$1 $2 $3 ...".  I changed
the offending section of Configure to something like:

	for n in $@ do
	  whatever
	done

The shell still complained about a syntax error.  But if I wrote:

	for n in $@
	do
	  whatever
	done

or:

	for n in $@ ; do
	  whatever
	done

it worked fine.  This looks like a bug to me.  I didn't spend
any time trying to fix it, 'cause it was so much easier to just
patch Configure.  :-)

Has anybody seen this bug?  If I ever get to the point where I
can post diffs for compiling perl under 386 Minix, it would be
nice not to have to post patches that are just bandaids for
Minix bugs.  :-(

And while I'm here, is anybody working on porting perl to Minix?
I took a stab at it with perl-4.000, but gave it up when I was
unable to chmem either the shell or awk big enough to handle
Configure.  After applying patches 1-10, Configure is working
somewhat better, but I'm having to fix what appear to be glaring
bugs.  Given that this software comes from Larry Wall, I hesitate 
to suggest that it contains bugs.  However, the perl-4.010 
Configure has the same problems on my Sun as it does under 
Minix!  Hmmm...  If there are others working along these same
lines, I wouldn't mind comparing notes with you.

Paul Allen


-- 
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Paul L. Allen                       | pallen@atc.boeing.com
Boeing Advanced Technology Center   | ...!uw-beaver!bcsaic!pallen