[Pkg-gnu-smalltalk-devel] Bug#489602: gnu-smalltalk-common: bashism in /bin/sh script

[Raphael Geissert]

Package: gnu-smalltalk-common
Severity: important
Version: 3.0.3-1
User: debian-release at lists.debian.org
Usertags: goal-dash

Hello maintainer,

While performing an archive wide checkbashisms (from the 'devscripts' package) 
check I've found your package containing one or more /bin/sh scripts making 
use of bashisms.

checkbashisms' output:
> possible bashism in ./usr/share/gnu-smalltalk/vfs/uzip line 87 ($RANDOM):
>     dir=tmpdir.${RANDOM}
> possible bashism in ./usr/share/gnu-smalltalk/vfs/uzip line 91 (should be
> >word 2>&1):
>     $XZIP "$1" "$2" &>/dev/null
> possible bashism in ./usr/share/gnu-smalltalk/vfs/uzip line 122 (should be
> >word 2>&1):
>     $XDZIP "$1" "$2" &>/dev/null
> possible bashism in ./usr/share/gnu-smalltalk/vfs/uzip line 127 (should be
> >word 2>&1):
>     $XDZIP "$1" "$2"/ &>/dev/null
> possible bashism in ./usr/share/gnu-smalltalk/vfs/ulha line 37 (should be
> >word 2>&1):
> if ls -de . >& /dev/null;
> possible bashism in ./usr/share/gnu-smalltalk/vfs/urar line 72 ($RANDOM):
>     dir=tmpdir.${RANDOM}
> possible bashism in ./usr/share/gnu-smalltalk/vfs/urar line 78 (should be
> >word 2>&1): 
> $RAR a -r "$1" "$2" &>/dev/null 
> possible bashism in ./usr/share/gnu-smalltalk/vfs/urar line 79 (should be
> >word 2>&1): 
> $RAR d "$1" "$2"/.rarfs &>/dev/null 
> possible bashism in ./usr/share/gnu-smalltalk/vfs/urar line 86 (should be
> >word 2>&1): 
> $RAR d "$1" "$2" &>/dev/null 

Not using bash (or a Debian Policy conformant shell interpreter which does 
provide such an extra feature) as /bin/sh is likely to lead to errors or 
unexpected behaviours.
Please be aware that although bash is currently the default /bin/sh there's a 
release goal for Lenny to make dash the default /bin/sh[1].

If you want more information about dash as /bin/sh, you can read:
http://lists.debian.org/debian-release/2008/01/msg00189.html

For more information please refer to the Debian Policy section 10.4 supporting 
this argument at:
http://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-files.html#s-scripts

Hints about how to fix bashisms:
Sometimes these bugs are already fixed in Ubuntu, look at the PTS.
If not already fixed you can read:
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/DashAsBinSh

[1]http://release.debian.org/lenny/goals.txt

Thank you,
-- 
Atomo64 - Raphael

Please avoid sending me Word, PowerPoint or Excel attachments.
See http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/no-word-attachments.html