[Groff] a calling interface for shell scripts in groff

[Bernd Warken]

Shell scripts run much faster and more compatible with the `ash' shell.
But as `ash' is not available at each system it cannot be provided by
the `#! /bin/ash' method.  Are there any ideas about how this could be 
solved?  

I can imagine the following procedure, but I'm not yet happy with it.

1) Write a shell script `groff_sh' as follows:

#! /bin/sh
#
GROFF_SH='/bin/sh';
for i in $(echo -n "$PATH" | tr : ' '); do
  if test -f "$i"'/ash' && test -x "$i"/ash; then
    GROFF_SH="$i"'/ash';
    break;
  fi;
done;
"$GROFF_SH" "$@";

2) This is installed into $prefix/bin.

3) scripts like `grog.sh' or `groffer.sh' use `#! @BINDIR@/groff_sh'
as a first line and are transformed into `grog' and `groffer' by `make'.


Another possibility could add a `configure' test and require Debian, etc.
to install `ash'.

Bernd Warken