On 06Aug2006 13:27, Tom Diehl <tdiehl@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote: | >=>Also, just for other scripts, this: | >=> foo=`command` | >=>is more portable than | >=> foo=$(command) | > | >Never use backquotes when the $( cmd ) is available. Portable practice presumes $() not to be available. | The backquotes are | >deprecated in bash and ksh and are only available in antique Bourne | >shells. In addition there are subtle differences in quoting between the | >two. | | Any idea why the authors feel the need to break 20+ years of history? I | fail to | see why foo=`command` is better or worse than foo=$(command). I only have | 17+ years worth of sh, ksh, and bash scripts that use the foo=`command` | construct. There's nothing subtle about it. $(...) lets you nest things without quoting difficulties. The `...` syntax imposes a layer of slosh quoting. $() is definitely cleaner and easier. But plenty of platforms exist where it is not supported in /bin/sh. So $() is to be avoided for portable scripts on the whole. -- Cameron Simpson <cs@xxxxxxxxxx> DoD#743 http://www.cskk.ezoshosting.com/cs/ Because of its special customs, crossposting between alt.peeves and normal newsgroups is discouraged. - Cameron Spitzer
