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From: PAAAAAR%CALSTATE.BITNET@wiscvm.wisc.EDU
Newsgroups: comp.unix.questions
Subject: Re: Why does this shell program run under csh???
Message-ID: <8030@brl-adm.ARPA>
Date: Thu, 25-Jun-87 22:08:10 EDT
Article-I.D.: brl-adm.8030
Posted: Thu Jun 25 22:08:10 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 27-Jun-87 04:21:18 EDT
Sender: news@brl-adm.ARPA
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Here is my $0.02 worth.
The prescence of two languages in a system is always a problem, n'est pas?
Unless they can be distinguished in some simple manner.
I have a problem on my machine because 'at' tends to generate csh scripts
for users who use 'sh': in other words some scripts exist which are a
mixture of csh and sh! The result is somwahat unusable. I expect to patch
the code 'real soon now'.
If there was a point at which the trouble could have been avoided it was
during the design of the C  shell's syntax. Then would have been a time
to include a piece of upward compatabillity. We can learn from the hardware
and language designer's here!
Am I getting at Bill Joy? - No! I am willing to bet that I would have chosen
to use the more logical csh syntax and d*** the consequences...
The nesting of ed inside ex inside vi is an example of the kind
of approach I mean.
>Why couldn't the file's name be used to determine what shell to use?
Because their must be 20-100 scripts out there that will have to be renamed
along with all the scripts that call them. Including all the scripts that
users have just thrown together....
Again the General Principle for system designers is that of MNC:
      MINIMUM  NECESARY   CHANGE
(Credit: Asimov, "The End of Eternity").
I will now go back to wrestling with the code of 'csh' 'at' 'atrun' etc...

Dick Botting, Comp Sci, Cal State, San Ber'do
paaaaar@calstate.bitnet
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