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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!cuae2!ltuxa!ttrdc!levy
From: levy@ttrdc.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.unix.questions
Subject: Re: Mysterious error message: scenario please
Message-ID: <1344@ttrdc.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 23-Nov-86 00:20:44 EST
Article-I.D.: ttrdc.1344
Posted: Sun Nov 23 00:20:44 1986
Date-Received: Sun, 23-Nov-86 08:06:34 EST
References: <1369@umd5>
Distribution: net
Organization: AT&T, Computer Systems Division, Skokie, IL
Lines: 27

In article <1369@umd5>, don@umd5 (Chris Sylvain) writes:
>[]
>I'd like to know just what could possibly be causing the following error
>message in response to a call to system() with a string that if typed
>by hand to a shell works just fine -- "00: is not an identifier".
>I'm totally mystified, and invite wild speculation on the part of you
>net.people (or comp.people if you've been renamed already) on what the cause
>might be...

My speculation: garbage being somehow put in the environment.  An example:

main()
{
	putenv("00");
	system("echo hello world");
}

$ a.out
00: is not an identifier
-- 
 -------------------------------    Disclaimer:  The views contained herein are
|       dan levy | yvel nad      |  my own and are not at all those of my em-
|         an engihacker @        |  ployer or the administrator of any computer
| at&t computer systems division |  upon which I may hack.
|        skokie, illinois        |
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