standards/52972: /bin/sh arithmetic not POSIX compliant

[Wartan Hachaturow]

The following reply was made to PR standards/52972; it has been noted by GNATS.

From: Wartan Hachaturow <wart at tepkom.ru>
To: Jens Schweikhardt <schweikh at schweikhardt.net>
Cc: GNATS Bug Followup <bug-followup at FreeBSD.org>
Subject: Re: standards/52972: /bin/sh arithmetic not POSIX compliant
Date: Mon, 23 Jun 2003 01:41:42 +0400

 On Sun, Jun 22, 2003 at 10:43:27PM +0200, Jens Schweikhardt wrote:
 > [please always cc to <bug-followup at FreeBSD.org> with the subject left as
 > is (like in this mail), so GNATS can add your comments to the audit
 > trail. Thanks!]
 
 Sure, I just thought my initial letter wasn't valuable enough to
 be included in the trail :)
 
 > The recursive processing requires that $(($a+1)) needs to undergo
 > parameter expansion within $(()).
 
 Right, but this construction works in /bin/sh:
 
 wart at mojo:~$ /bin/sh
 $ a=1
 $ echo $(($a+1))
 2
 
 You've said the problem was with the variable without leading $, like
 this:
 $ a=1
 $ echo $((a+1)) 
 arith: syntax error: "a+1"
 
 And, as far as my English allows me to judge, the quoted part of SUS
 says that "a" in this construct should be left in output as is (since it
 doesn't have leading $, ${, $(, etc.), shouldn't it?
 
 -- 
 Regards, Wartan.
 "Computers are not intelligent. They only think they are."