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From:	"Russ Cox" <rsc@plan9.bell-labs.com>
Date:	Fri, 19 May 2000 18:10:01 -0400
To:	rc@hawkwind.utcs.toronto.edu, tjg@star.le.ac.uk
Subject: Re: ifs substitution, how should it work?
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Message-Id: <00May21.004230edt.26277@hawkwind.utcs.toronto.edu>

Introducing contexts where singleton lists
and strings are not identical seems a very bad idea.
Then you have to explain that in general they
are but ifs isn't; and what if save ifs away
to another variable and then restore it?
What does "x=(abc); ifs=$x" do?

If you want basename, why not use basename or sed or awk?

Russ