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Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!seismo!sundc!hadron!inco!mack
From: mack@inco.UUCP (Dave Mack)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.questions
Subject: Re: \"+\" filename -> /bin/sh !
Message-ID: <465@inco.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 21-Oct-87 17:24:55 EDT
Article-I.D.: inco.465
Posted: Wed Oct 21 17:24:55 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 24-Oct-87 07:34:48 EDT
References: <3351@sol.ARPA> <18062@teknowledge-vaxc.ARPA>
Organization: McDonnell Douglas-INCO, McLean, VA
Lines: 37
Summary: The Answer (???)

In article <18062@teknowledge-vaxc.ARPA>, mkhaw@teknowledge-vaxc.ARPA (Mike Khaw) writes:

> On Sun OS 3.4:
> 
> 	csh% /bin/sh +
> 	+: Command not found
> 
> 	sh$ /bin/sh +
> 	sh$
> 

When csh is given the text file, it checks the first character of the
file to see if it's '#'. If not, it hands the file off to /bin/sh.

/bin/sh interprets a '+' or '-' on the command line as an attempt to
set or reset a flag. It apparently ignores an absent or unrecognized
flag silently. Having used up its argv, it thinks it was invoked
without arguments, so it lights up interactively.

If the file named "+" contains:

# comment
date
[EOF]

the + command works as expected.



-- 
  		Dave Mack	The Lord of the Files
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