Re: escaping

[Chet Ramey]

> simple problem, but a basic problem nonetheless
> 
> consider
> 
> echo \z #backslash is a special character to the shell, so it is not printed
> result: z
> echo "\z" #when using double quotes, every special character is turned off
> except variable and argument substitution ($), backticks and backslash.
> why does the last statement output: \z instead of (what i expected) the same
> as the former command (a single z)???

You should have read the manual.  It says, in the QUOTING section:

       The backslash
       retains its special meaning only when followed by  one  of
       the  following  characters:  $,  `, ", \, or <newline>

-- 
``The lyf so short, the craft so long to lerne.'' - Chaucer
( ``Discere est Dolere'' -- chet)

Chet Ramey, CWRU    chet@po.CWRU.Edu    http://cnswww.cns.cwru.edu/~chet/