FYI: true

[Akim Demaille]

Of course, Alexandre, if you don't want your name in, tell me.


Index: ChangeLog
from  Akim Demaille  <address@hidden>
        * doc/autoconf.texi (Limitations of Builtins): Comment `true'.

2000-11-14  Akim Demaille  <address@hidden>

Index: doc/autoconf.texi
===================================================================
RCS file: /cvs/autoconf/doc/autoconf.texi,v
retrieving revision 1.386
diff -u -u -r1.386 autoconf.texi
--- doc/autoconf.texi 2000/11/14 10:00:25 1.386
+++ doc/autoconf.texi 2000/11/14 14:15:34
@@ -5701,6 +5701,22 @@
 @noindent
 Fortunately this bug affects only trap.
 
address@hidden @command{true}
address@hidden @command{true}
address@hidden @command{:}
+Don't worry: as far as we know @command{true} is portable.
+Nevertheless, it's not always a builtin (e.g., Bash 1.x), and the
+portable shell community tends to prefer using @command{:}.  This has an
+funny side effect: when asked whether @command{false} is more portable
+than @command{true} Alexandre Oliva answered
+
address@hidden
+In a sense, yes, because if it doesn't exist, the shell will produce an
+exit status of failure, which is correct for @command{false}, but not
+for @command{true}.
address@hidden quotation
+
+
 @item @command{unset}
 @cindex @command{unset}
 You cannot assume the support of @command{unset}, nevertheless, because