losing history trying to share history among shells.

[Carl Baldwin]

Configuration Information [Automatically generated, do not change]:
Machine: i386
OS: linux-gnu
Compiler: gcc
Compilation CFLAGS:  -DPROGRAM='bash' -DCONF_HOSTTYPE='i386' 
-DCONF_OSTYPE='linux-gnu' -DCONF_MACHTYPE='i386-pc-linux-gnu' 
-DCONF_VENDOR='pc' -DSHELL -DHAVE_CONFIG_H  -I.  
-I/home/packages/bash/bash-2.05b -I/home/packages/bash/bash-2.05b/include 
-I/home/packages/bash/bash-2.05b/lib  -g -O2
uname output: Linux debian 2.4.18-bf2.4 #1 Son Apr 14 09:53:28 CEST 2002 i686 
unknown unknown GNU/Linux
Machine Type: i386-pc-linux-gnu

Bash Version: 2.05b
Patch Level: 0
Release Status: release

Description:
        history -a; history -n doesn't seem to work anymore.

        This used to add the most recent history command to the
        history file and then reload the file to get updates from
        all other shells.  The affect was to share history among
        shells.

        Since upgrading from 2.0.4 I lose history commands with
        this method.  It may not have been a sanctioned method
        before but it worked before the upgrade.

Repeat-By:
        export PROMPT_COMMAND="history -a; history -n" in .bashrc
        See above.

Fix:
        Sharing history between all active shells would be a really
        cool thing to put some more thought into at the level of
        the history library.  It's a cool feature and I suspect
        that history -a; history -n isn't the right way to do it.

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