[Octave-bug-tracker] [bug #55681] octave --no-init-file still uses finish.m and startup.m in the current directory

[Mike Miller]

URL:
  <https://savannah.gnu.org/bugs/?55681>

                 Summary: octave --no-init-file still uses finish.m and
startup.m in the current directory
                 Project: GNU Octave
            Submitted by: mtmiller
            Submitted on: Fri 08 Feb 2019 02:59:40 PM PST
                Category: Configuration and Build System
                Severity: 2 - Minor
                Priority: 5 - Normal
              Item Group: Incorrect Result
                  Status: None
             Assigned to: mtmiller
         Originator Name: 
        Originator Email: 
             Open/Closed: Open
         Discussion Lock: Any
                 Release: dev
        Operating System: GNU/Linux

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Details:

The Matlab compatible startup files "finish.m" and "startup.m" are tied to
Octave's system-wide version startup file, even though they are user
configuration files, essentially equivalent to having a .octaverc file in the
current directory.

They should be disabled with --no-init-file, which is supposed to disable all
user configuration files. Even better, they should still be enabled when
--no-site-file is used, but that's even more of a corner case.


$ echo 'disp ("This is startup.m!")' > startup.m
$ echo 'disp ("This is finish.m!")' > finish.m
$ octave --eval exit
This is startup.m!
This is finish.m!
$ octave --norc --eval exit
$ octave --no-init-file --eval exit
This is startup.m!
This is finish.m!
$ octave --no-site-file --eval exit
$ 


I concede that this is low priority, but I think it is definitely worth
fixing, since the intent is that "octave --no-init-file" protects Octave from
any stray configuration that a user may have in their home directory or in the
current working directory.

I think the only way to fix this is to remove the handling of these files from
scripts/startup/version-rcfile and into the interpreter proper where it
handles all startup files.

I will look at this for Octave 6, but feel free to start on it or throw ideas
or problems at me.




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