SSH_CLIENT auto-export!!!!

[William Dorfmann]

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-redhat-
linux-gnu' -
DCONF_VENDOR='redhat' -DSHELL -DHAVE_CONFIG_H  -D_GNU_SOURCE 
-D_FILE_OFFSET_BITS=64  -I.  -I. -I./include -I./lib -
I/usr/include
 -O2 -march=i386 -mcpu=i686
uname output: Linux colden.kesoftware.com 2.4.7-10 #1 Thu 
Sep 6 17:27:27 EDT 2001 i686 unknown
Machine Type: i386-redhat-linux-gnu

Bash Version: 2.05
Patch Level: 8
Release Status: release

Description:

    I recently upgraded to a new version of linux, which has 
a current
    version of bash.  The fact that "the SSH_CLIENT 
environment variable
    is no longer auto-exported" has caused me no end of 
grief.  It broke
    my application, and took a long time to diagnose.  I 
can't imagine
    how many other applications this change has disrupted. 

    It simply makes no sense to hard-code SSH-specific 
features into
    bash.  Or rather, should I say, it makes about as much 
sense as when
    Steve Martin suggested removing the letter "E" from the 
alphabet. To
    put it in context:  If you're going to make such 
changes, why not add
    a few special cases for environment variables for 
Netscape, VNC,
    abiword, telnet, or even special days of the week! 

    What was the reason behind this change to bash?  It is 
completely
    inconsistent with behavior in sh, ksh, csh and whatever 
other shell
    one might encounter.  Please, please remove this feature 
from bash. 
    It makes a complete mockery gnu products in general, and 
was a very
    microsft-esque thing to do in the first place. 

Repeat-By:

    Ssh into a system running the new bash.  Try running a 
shell script.

Fix:

    Eliminate any and all references to SSH in the bash 
code!! 

-----------------------------------------------------------
William Dorfmann <William.Dorfmann@kesoftware.com>, KE 
Software Inc.
Suite 750, 601 West Broadway, Vancouver B.C. V5Z 4C2 CANADA
Tel:  +1-877-1960 x 11  /  Fax: +1-604-877-1961