Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!lll-winken!lll-tis!ames!umd5!brl-adm!adm!rbj@icst-cmr.arpa
From: rbj@icst-cmr.arpa (Root Boy Jim)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.questions
Subject: Picking a character from a word
Message-ID: <13235@brl-adm.ARPA>
Date: 3 May 88 19:41:22 GMT
Sender: news@brl-adm.ARPA
Lines: 16


   From: "Richard A. O'Keefe" <ok@quintus.uucp>

   The world is still waiting for a UNIX utility like test(1) or expr(1)
   which works all the time. [re: test "$a", if a is "-z"]

Good point. In fact, one might argue that neither concept ought to be
used. In the old days, we used tricks like `test "x$a" = "x"'. While
such tricks are nonintuitive, they get the job done, and with an
appropriate hint in the manual, solve the user's problem all the time.

	(Root Boy) Jim Cottrell	<rbj@icst-cmr.arpa>
	National Bureau of Standards
	Flamer's Hotline: (301) 975-5688
	The opinions expressed are solely my own
	and do not reflect NBS policy or agreement
	What UNIVERSE is this, please??