Re: style of assignment to variable changes command selection

[Chet Ramey]

Eric Blake wrote:
> Re-adding the list - I am not the bash maintainer, so keeping the list in
> the loop is essential if you want any action taken.

I am the bash maintainer, so I figure my opinion will count for something.

> | So there's a bug in the manual, which does not breathe a word about
> | time being executed by the shell.  And the shell covers its tracks, too:

I think the manual's pretty clear about where and how time is implemented.
It's just not mentioned in the builtins section, since:

> |
> |         % builtin time
> |         bash: builtin: time: not a shell builtin

it's not a builtin.

> |
> | Were I still the keeper of Unix manuals, my fix to the manual
> | would be to list this wart under BUGS.

Ummm...why, exactly?  The manual accurately describes the implementation,
which conforms to the relevant standards.

A Posix implementation may provide another version of time as a separate
utility, which will accommodate your desired usage.  Even something like

#! /bin/sh
time "$@"

would suffice and allow builtins, if not pipelines, to be timed.

Chet
--
``The lyf so short, the craft so long to lerne.'' - Chaucer
                       Live Strong.  No day but today.
Chet Ramey, ITS, CWRU    chet@case.edu    http://cnswww.cns.cwru.edu/~chet/