Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site mips.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!prls!amdimage!amdcad!decwrl!Glacier!mips!mash From: mash@mips.UUCP (John Mashey) Newsgroups: net.bugs.usg Subject: Re: PATH bug? Message-ID: <160@mips.UUCP> Date: Wed, 7-Aug-85 03:50:38 EDT Article-I.D.: mips.160 Posted: Wed Aug 7 03:50:38 1985 Date-Received: Sun, 11-Aug-85 03:50:41 EDT References: <807@plus5.UUCP> <2562@sun.uucp> Organization: MIPS Computer Systems, Mountain View, CA Lines: 26 > > If the current directory is specified as the last directory searched using > > a trailing ":" instead of ":." (in $PATH) then sh will not find executable > > files in the current directory. > > I have noticed this bug under Vr0 and Vr2. Is this problem more widespread > > than just my vendor? > ...... > Yes, it's even more widespread than you might think. I suspect it's in > every Bourne shell (except for the ones that've fixed it).... > > The fix should be obvious (look in "service.c") - unless this is a feature, > not a bug... It is clearly a bug, not a feature, because it does not work like execvp(2), which is supposed to be the canonical definition of what exec $PATH search is. To verify this (from Bourne shell, with command in current directory): PATH=:/bin time command (works) PATH=/bin: time command (works) PATH=/bin: command (not found) This is clearly wrong; a long time ago, far away, we went to some pain to get the identical path-search code into every command .... except /bin/sh. sigh. -- -john mashey UUCP: {decvax,ucbvax,ihnp4}!decwrl!mips!mash DDD: 415-960-1200 USPS: MIPS Computer Systems, 1330 Charleston Rd, Mtn View, CA 94043