[tz] [PATCH 3/3] tzselect: use /bin/sh by default

[Richard Johnson]

[Resend, had a bug in my folder-hook setting my from address]

On Sat, Oct 27, 2012 at 12:29:43PM -0700, Paul Eggert wrote:
> How about if we just default to Bash instead?

I'd prefer not to default to bash.  However, there are workarounds, such as
moving part of processing to a system that has bash.

In case you're interested, here's why I prefer not doing bashisms:

My bias comes from trying to use multiple platforms, not just Linux, and
having repeated problems with what we call the gnu hairball of dependency
hell.

bash is OK if you're on a Linux system where you need, and have, the entire
gnu hairball already as part of your install.

Building bash requires too much additional hairball on *bsd systems, so we
most often do not.

Sometimes, the systems don't have the horsepower to complete the hairball
in a reasonable time.  Importing pre-built packages then sometimes requires
cross-compiling, which brings its own pitfalls.

Even on those that can build the hairball, we often don't want the parts
around after the build, as upgrades across large and unauditable
dependencies like the notorious gettext are often quite problematic.

We thus prefer standard /bin/sh use via the likes of ksh instead in our
scripts.

That said, we also run Linux systems where package maintainer teams have
embraced the hairball and have polished it well, so there are workarounds
if bashisms must be used.


Richard