Re: "echo: write error: Broken pipe" even when DONT_REPORT_SIGPIPE set

[Chet Ramey]

Tim Waugh wrote:
> Comparing bash-3.0 (with config-top.h modified so that
> DONT_REPORT_SIGPIPE is defined) with bash-3.1 (where this is the
> default anyway) shows up a change in behaviour.
> 
> bash-3.0:
> 
> $ bash -c 'trap exit SIGPIPE; echo foo' | :
> $ 
> 
> bash-3.1:
> 
> $ bash -c 'trap exit SIGPIPE; echo foo' | :
> bash: line 0: echo: write error: Broken pipe
> $ 
> 
> Is this change in behaviour intentional, or a regression?

It's intentional, and doesn't have anything to do with job control
or processes dying from SIGPIPE in general.  There were several bug
reports filed against bash-3.0 complaining that the only way to
check whether or not echo failed to write requested data was to use
the exit status.  (Mostly in connection with redirected output on a
full or unavailable file system.)  `echo' now displays an error
message on write errors.  `printf' does the same thing.

Chet

-- 
``The lyf so short, the craft so long to lerne.'' - Chaucer
( ``Discere est Dolere'' -- chet )
                                                Live Strong.
Chet Ramey, ITS, CWRU    chet@case.edu    http://tiswww.tis.case.edu/~chet/