From mboxrd@z Thu Jan  1 00:00:00 1970
Message-ID: <e542fccdca9fe8f422ee45179e05f23f@quanstro.net>
From: erik quanstrom <quanstro@quanstro.net>
Date: Tue, 31 Mar 2009 12:26:17 -0400
To: 9fans@9fans.net
In-Reply-To: <49D24065.6090900@proweb.co.uk>
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Subject: Re: [9fans] what features would you like in a shell?
Topicbox-Message-UUID: ce816f9a-ead4-11e9-9d60-3106f5b1d025

> I've not run into many actual problems with rc so it's pretty near
> perfect :>

pretty near.

redirection has a few rough points.  dealing with a device
that expects a write then a read like /net/dns is painful.
i can never get the syntax right the first try.
and (hopefully this isn't just my ignorance) i don't know how
to open a fd to a background shell as one would in bourne.

quoting can get a little dicy when combined with here
docs.

> hash maps : a['name'] = 'glenda'
> arithmetic - though with the 80/20 rule, I don't think the bloat is worth it

the shell i worked on had regular lists, not flat
lists like rc.  the problem with this is that suppose
you're in a directory with a.c b.c a.h b.h.  does this
print 2 or 4?

	fn x {
		echo $#*
	}
	x *.c *.h
in rc, the answer is obvious.  if you allow regular
lists, then * is either ((a.c b.c) (a.h b.h)) or
(a.c b.c a.h b.h).

perhaps i just missed the obvious.

- erik