[ALUG] Re: kubuntu apt-get not installed

[(Ted Harding)]

On 13-Jun-07 08:07:29, Jon Dye wrote:
> (Ted Harding) wrote:
>> On 13-Jun-07 07:02:04, Brett Parker wrote:
>>> Errr, echo is a bash builtin, too (and has been for quite some time)
>>> -
>>> so, it *should* work - I don't know what half arsed shell Ted is
>>> using,
>>> but most of them have echo builtin as far as I'm aware.
>> 
>> True enough -- now that you point it out and I check it in "man bash".
>> 
>> I'd been going on the result of "which echo" (--> /bin/echo) and on
>> a mind-set established long before bash was born.
> 
> Try "type echo" instead of "which echo"
> 
> JD

And, now that you point that out,

  type -a echo

gives you the lot:

$ type -a echo
echo is a shell builtin
echo is /bin/echo

$ type -a type
type is a shell builtin

Which raises an interesting question: If "type -a" can find everything
(including binaries), it must be making implicit reference to a PATH
which presumably is the user's $PATH by default (though neither
"help type" nor "man bash" is explicit about this). You can of course
set a search-path with option "-P" to "type".

So, since "type" is a shell built-in, it should work for elc whatever
the PATH situation is. Therefore, going back to the "missing" commands,
if elc enters, for instance,

type -a ls

and gets:

$ type -a ls
bash: type: ls: not found

while "type -aP /bin ls" gives

$type -aP /bin ls
/bin/ls

this is presumably a pretty sure-fire diagnostic of PATH problems.

Best wishes to all,
Ted.

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Date: 13-Jun-07                                       Time: 09:43:48
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