Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!mks!tj
From: tj@mks.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: Putting an '=' in an environment variable
Message-ID: <268@mks.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 27-May-87 15:51:09 EDT
Article-I.D.: mks.268
Posted: Wed May 27 15:51:09 1987
Date-Received: Thu, 28-May-87 06:22:36 EDT
References: <210@ttrde.UUCP> <654@custom.UUCP>
Organization: Mortice Kern Systems, Waterloo, Ont.
Lines: 28
Keywords: MKS vi
Summary: Is trivial with MKS Korn Shell

In article <654@custom.UUCP>, boykin@custom.UUCP (Joseph Boykin) writes:
< In article <210@ttrde.UUCP>, rdj@ttrde.UUCP (Robert D. Jackson) writes:
< > I am using a version of PC/VI, and have been trying for some time now
< > to get the EXINIT environment variable set to my liking.  On Unix, it is
< > set as such:
< > 
< > EXINIT="set ai sw=4 terse"
< > export EXINIT
< > 
< > On the PC, I am unable to get an '=' in an environment variable,
< 
< Unfortunately, DOS does not permit environment variables to contain
< an equal sign (or a |, and probably others).  The result is that ...

Ahem. DOS has nothing against these characters in environment variables.
It is only command.com that is brain-damaged. Using the shell in the
MKS Toolkit, one can type Mr. Jackson's example verbatim, with the
expected effect.

In fact i have a profile line which says
	export EXINIT="`cat $HOME/ex.rc`"

What is more, the Toolkit also contains a better vi...
-- 
     ll  // // ,~/~~\'   T. J. Thompson {decvax,ihnp4,seismo}!watmath!mks!tj
    /ll/// //l' `\\\     Mortice Kern Systems Inc.
   / l //_// ll\___/     43 Bridgeport Rd. E., Waterloo, ON, Can. N2J 2J4
O_/                      (519)884-2251