${var//\\*/} result depends on bash version

[Stanislav Brabec]

Configuration Information [Automatically generated, do not change]:
Machine: x86_64
OS: linux
Compiler: gcc -I/usr/src/packages/BUILD/bash-3.0 
-L/usr/src/packages/BUILD/bash-3.0/../readline-5.0
Compilation CFLAGS:  -DPROGRAM='bash' -DCONF_HOSTTYPE='x86_64' 
-DCONF_OSTYPE='linux' -DCONF_MACHTYPE='x86_64-suse-linux' -DCONF_VENDOR='suse' 
-DLOCALEDIR='/usr/share/locale' -DPACKAGE='bash' -DSHELL -DHAVE_CONFIG_H  -I.  
-I. -I./include -I./lib   -O2 -fmessage-length=0 -Wall -D_GNU_SOURCE -Wall 
-pipe -g -fbranch-probabilities
uname output: Linux hammer 2.6.8-24-default #1 Wed Oct 6 09:16:23 UTC 2004 
x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux
Machine Type: x86_64-suse-linux

Bash Version: 3.0
Patch Level: 0
Release Status: release

Description:
Simple script behavior depends on bash version.
Is it bug, bugfix or feature? Is there any '*' character replacement 
expression, which works in both versions?

Repeat-By:
var="a*b" ; echo "${var//\\*/}"
bash-2.05b returns ab
bash-3.00.0 returns a*b

var="a*b" ; echo "${var//\*/}"
bash-2.05b returns empty string
bash-3.00.0 it returns ab

The same is valid for '?' instead of '*'.

Looks like bugfix, new syntax is more consistent:

var="a/b" ; echo "${var//\//}"
returns ab

var="a/b" ; echo "${var//\\//}"
returns a/b

Fix:
Document this incompatibility, if it is a bugfix, or fix it, if it is a bug.

-- 
Best Regards / S pozdravem,

Stanislav Brabec
software developer
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