Re: portability note about 'printf'

[Paul Eggert]

Bruno Haible <address@hidden> writes:

> If you don't see the bug in Solaris, my guess is that either you
> have a symlink /bin/sh -> /bin/bash, or you have the coreutils
> 'printf' in your PATH in front of /usr/bin and /bin.

Thanks for catching this; yes, it's the latter that is the case.

I installed this:

2007-04-29  Paul Eggert  <address@hidden>

        * doc/autoconf.texi (Limitations of Builtins): Correct the warning
        about Solaris /bin/printf '%010000x' 123.  Problem reported by
        Bruno Haible.

--- doc/autoconf.texi   26 Apr 2007 19:50:46 -0000      1.1148
+++ doc/autoconf.texi   29 Apr 2007 08:22:00 -0000
@@ -12700,11 +12700,10 @@ $ @kbd{printf '\045'}
 bash: printf: `%': missing format character
 @end example

-Large outputs may cause trouble.  On Solaris 8 through 10, for example,
-the command @samp{/bin/printf %010000x 123} dumps core.  This particular
-bug should have little practical effect since Solaris shells' builtin
address@hidden commands do not have the bug, but it indicates an area
-that other @command{printf} implementations may have trouble in.
+Large outputs may cause trouble.  On Solaris 2.5.1 through 10, for
+example, @file{/usr/bin/printf} is buggy, so when using
address@hidden/bin/sh} the command @samp{printf %010000x 123} normally dumps
+core.


 @item @command{read}