Re: libraries of shell script functions

[Peter Seebach]

In message <address@hidden>, Bruno Haible writes:
>If you want to contribute shell script functions to gnulib, we would need some
>kind of "linker" for shell scripts: A tool which combines a set of shell
>script fragments, each defining a number of functions, and a "main" script,
>into a complete, runnable shell script. Does someone already have such a tool?

>Once we have such a tool, it would make sense to think about a common library
>of shell script functions, about how to distribute libraries of shell scripts
>outside of gnulib, etc...

This could probably be done in m4sh without much extra work.

That said... I have thought longingly about doing something that's essentially
"autoconf, but assuming basic sanity".  (e.g., never does checks for anything
C89 guarantees.)  I'm not sure how much faster it'd be, but it might be some
faster -- and I wouldn't be surprised if similar rules existed for shells.

I'm still torn on the respective costs and benefits of keeping the SVR4 shell
in mind and just sending ninjas to Sun to check in a "minor update".  :)

-s