On Tue, Jun 11, 2002 at 04:39:25PM +0100, Ben Harris wrote:
> In article <20020611140857.G411@snowdrop.l8s.co.uk> you write:
> >options.h: Make 'V' and 'E' (vi and emacs) mutually exclusive,
> >	Add new options '-o posix' and '-o SuS'
> 
> Ugh.  I'm strongly opposed to having to set options in order to get
> standards conformance, not least because conformant applications can
> probably do something that will turn the option off (e.g. invoking a new
> instance of "sh" after clearing the environment).

yes - the trouble is that doing anything else breaks compatibility
with existing systems.
OTOH even to write C that is XPG4 (say) conformant requires
defining thinks like (I can't remember the exact defines)
#define _XPG4_SOURCE_1234
in all the source files in order to get the header files to guarantee
to generate the correct data....

> 
> > /*
> >  * Echo command.
> >+ *
> >+ * echo is steeped in tradition - several of them!
> >+ * netbsd has supported 'echo [-n | -e] args' in spite of -e not being
> >+ * documented anywhere.
> >+ * Posix requires that -n be supported, output from strings containing
> >+ * \ is implementation defined
> 
> This is untrue.
> IEEE Std 1003.2-1992 makes a first operand of "-n" implementation-defined, and
>   arguably allows other options as well.  It makes \ implementation-defined.
> IEEE Std 1003.1-2001 disallows all options, and requires SysV \-escapes.
> IEEE Std 1003.1-2001/Cor 1-2002 will make a first operand of "-n" and any \
>   implementation defined for POSIX implementations.  For XSI
>   implementations, its requirements should be the same as .1-2001.
> 
> When writing things that are likely to be persistent (like comments and
> documentation), it's as well to make it clear which version of which POSIX
> standard you're referring to.

Thanks - I don't have the posix specs to hand and was trying to remember
what you had said before...
> 
> >+ * The Single Unix Spec requires that \ escapes be treated (as below)
> >+ * but that -n not be treated as an argument.
> 
> s/argument/option/.

Still looks like at least two variants are required though!

There may also be other places where the posix behaviour, SuS
behaviour and netbsd behaviour differ.

	David

-- 
David Laight: david@l8s.co.uk