Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!dasys1!tneff From: tneff@dasys1.UUCP (Tom Neff) Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc Subject: Re: MKS BUGS Keywords: MKS, bugs Message-ID: <7915@dasys1.UUCP> Date: 24 Nov 88 20:46:05 GMT References: <1361@anuck.UUCP> Reply-To: tneff@dasys1.UUCP (Tom Neff) Organization: Independent Users Guild Lines: 137 In article <1361@anuck.UUCP> jjones@anuck.UUCP (jeff jones) writes: - -I've been reading the net for several months now and I -have seen a lot of references to the MKS toolkit package. -All of the references have been of a positive nature. I -agree with all that I have read because I use the package -too, to its fullest extent, and I am completely satisfied. - -Now, risking third-degree burns over most of my body, I -am posting this in a negative light. Am I the only MKS -user on the net that finds MKS bugs!!? Perish the thought. :-) -Recently, I posted an example of what I think is a BUG in -MKS. I got no responses confirming or denying the problem. -Maybe I expected too much from you MKS users on the the net. -I thought I would get a lot of responses when I considered -all the ranting and raving I read about this product. This might be a good time to insert Standard Netnews Tip #397: NEVER assume your article made it around the net! Connectivity is frequently less than perfect, especially over UUCP, and the seasoned net.user will often have to repost when things are Suspiciously Quiet after he makes a query or comment. Don't go apoplectic and assume the rest of us don't care, when we may not have heard. -I at least expected a response from Mr. MKS, either confirming -or denying the problem. I know that Gerry Wheeler (Mr. MKS?) -reads this net because he always seems to volunteer his -excellent responses to MKS problems. However, the problems -seem to have been cases of improper product configuration -rather than MKS bugs. Obviously, MKS figures it would be in -their best interest not to respond to true bug postings in -the hopes that fingers wind up pointing at users rather -than MKS. If MKS offers guidance on the net concerning -their product, they should also address their product's -negative aspects when they come to light. For someone who is "completely satisfied," the poster is awfully quick to accuse MKS of machiavellianism! More to the point, netnews is NOT the way to report bugs to MKS. The Toolkit documentation clearly lists a netmail address for Mortice Kern, which is: uunet!watmath!mks!toolkit If you file a bug report to this address and do not get a response in a reasonable time, there might be grounds for complaint. Not otherwise. I have used this address several times and can verify it has good connectivity. Even if one has "lost the manual" (cough, cough, cough), knowing that Gerry Wheeler participates in this newsgroup, one can also glean his netmail address from the article headers. -I am now posting what I think are several BUGS in MKS... - ... I'm just interested in -knowing if fellow MKS users concur with these suspect bugs... -Software setup...PC-DOS 3.2 with Microsoft's patch for -floating-point exception handling in IBMBIO.COM. ANSI.SYS -and MS-MOUSE.SYS loaded in CONFIG.SYS. MKS Ver 2.2, ^^^^^^^^^^^ Not the current version, 2.3 is many months old. -Configuration 4...full MKS control, COMMAND.COM not even -loaded. Nothing exported except the necessaries such as -PATH, HISTORY, etc...'set -o' returns only 'vi'; ls aliased -to 'ls -xp'; ulimit=2; FILES=20; BUFFERS=20. ^^^^^^^^ Why bother with this. -1. The length of the pathname to each file seems to cause - this bug.... - #but now try to load it into a variable... - #this doesn't load correctly - FIRST=`echo $list | sed 's/ .*$//'` - echo $FIRST This worked for me every time under MKS 2.3, the current version. It would have been very helpful if you had mentioned what *does* end up in the $FIRST variable. -2. Can't do a change word (cw) on the last word of a command - line vi edit. Works for me every time under MKS 2.3, the current version. -3. Also during command-line edit, '.' does not complete the - entire previous text modification command. My results match yours. If it's a bug it's not fixed under 2.3. -4. Can't ^c out of the command history edit. This works for me every time under MKS 2.3. -r. Write two simple shell-scripts where one calls the other: - SCRIPT1.ksh: - junk_var=surprise - echo junk_var from script1 = $junk_var - script2 - - SCRIPT2.ksh: - echo junk_var from script2 = $junk_var - - Don't export ANYTHING. Execute script1...well, can YOU - guess what script2 outputs for junk_var? It's NOT a null - string as it's supposed to be. I wonder if this has anything - to do with BUG #1. Under 2.3 my results match yours. It must have to do with the way either ksh or echo looks up $junk_var... unlike UNIX, the Toolkit doesn't actually spawn a new process for sub-shell invocation. It allocates a new memory block and puts some things in it, including the exported environment variables and aliases. You would think the subshell would restrict its search to that, but apparently it reads the environment segment of its DOS process instead, so still sees junk_var defined. Probably a Mortice Kern bug. -6. Cpio won't return the files requested from an input file when given - wild card characters. Under 2.3 my results match yours. Apparently when there are path slashes in the cpio archive's stored filenames, the -i pattern matcher has coniptions. Probably a Mortice Kern bug. -Well, let's hear it from you fellow MKS users. Sorry about the -length but at least they're all in one place. Flames Away!!! There is no need for flames. This is a good group for dispassionate bug reporting, you just may have to repost occasionally. -- Tom Neff UUCP: ...!cmcl2!phri!dasys1!tneff "None of your toys CIS: 76556,2536 MCI: TNEFF will function..." GEnie: TOMNEFF BIX: t.neff (no kidding)