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From: tim@cithep.UucP (Tim Smith )
Newsgroups: net.unix-wizards
Subject: The bourne shell again ( summary and question )
Message-ID: <75@cithep.UucP>
Date: Sun, 31-Mar-85 06:09:03 EST
Article-I.D.: cithep.75
Posted: Sun Mar 31 06:09:03 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 2-Apr-85 06:22:06 EST
Organization: Caltech HEP, Pasadena, CA
Lines: 38

Ok, I see why

	if true
		x
		y
		z
	fi

runs all but the last command in a subshell.  I should have
realized that.  But I have still not received an explanation
for the first problem I had.  That concerned this construct:

	number=one
	while something
	do
		number=two
	done < TheLarch

I wondered why the assignment in the loop was not done.  Several people
correctly pointed out that the body of the loop is done in a subshell,
so the assignment does not show up outside the loop.  Ok, fine.  And now
the question.

Why is the body of the loop done in a subshell?  Could it
not use dup() to save the current stdin, and put it back after
the loop?  This is crtainly what I expected.

If you feel like answering this, and are one of the following people,
please post to the net to settle this once and for all:

	Goug Gwyn, Guy Harris, Henry Spencer, Chris Torek, Norman Wilson

Otherwise, mail rather than post!
-- 
Duty Now for the Future

					Tim Smith
				ihnp4!{wlbr!callan,cithep}!tim