RE: Replace 1 Char with 3Char's

Okay... Well, I've been using FreeBSD for about 13 years. Personally,
when I write Unix software, I try to go to the least common denominator
so that it'll be portable.

But it won't, since (as indicated in a prior article I sent - not my words)
FreeBSD has command switches that are not compatible with POSIX / Linux.
So, vice versa. No matter what you do, you have some chance that your
script won't port.

I agree that for the purposes of inserting a CRLF into the data, the
GNU version is more elegant. But is it _so_ elegant that it's worth
restricting your software so that it'll only work in one environment?

Well, this one plus the millions of others that are running on Linux. Add
in HP-UX and Cygwin, et cetera... yeah, I'd say it's a worthwhile risk.

Or that you'll have to install a second version of sed in each place
you want your script to work?

If it were a big deal, I might reconsider. I don't consider a one-time
half-hour exercise even worthy of consideration in the long term.

In this example, Jim Lowary would have to ensure that each time he
migrates to another box, the new box gets the GNU version of sed
installed and placed ahead of the standard version.

Hopefully, there is some sort of save/restore strategy in that migration,
wouldn't you think? But of course I cannot speak for Jim.

If someone else
besides Jim ever maintains the box, it'll have to be very carefully
documented... otherwise people won't understand why they're
installing sed on a system (or multiple systems) that already has sed.

This is not an issue with, say, your service programs et al if someone
decides to use one of the (wonderful <- I mean that) tools you've made
available? Or MMAIL from easy400, and all those other things "out there"
that require non-IBM and/or non-standard installations... those are OK. You
seem to be an upright supporter of open software. And yet *this* is a major
consideration. Something doesn't smell quite right in that argument, Scott.

I guess that's up to Jim to decide...

If it were me, I'd say the $(print '\\\\r\\\\n') isn't THAT bad.

That's fine. It's neither of us, though.

Dennis Lovelady
http://www.linkedin.com/in/dennislovelady
--
Thought for the day:
"Smile", they said, "it could be worse!" So I did, and it was.