[BusyBox] lash issues

[Larry Doolittle]

Erik -

I'd like to keep using lash for scripting in embedded
systems; it's small, responsive, and supported.  The
following are "issues" between me and lash.  ;-)

I hope you understand them, and can put at least some
of them on your to-do list (if they are not there already).
I have attempted to sort them in order of decreasing
importance and increasing difficulty.

In my copious free time (double- ;-) ), I may try to
address them myself.

1. Sourced files fork erroneously.
      echo "export FOO=bar" >setup
      . setup
      echo $FOO
   should succeed, like it does in sh.

2. No local variables, as distinct from environment
   variables.  Lash doesn't understand
      FOO=bar
      echo $FOO

3. No local environment.  Lash doesn't understand
      FOO=bar command

4. "$" handling incomplete and incompatible with sh.
   Many cases, some of the more important ones:
      echo ${PATH}:/opt/bin
      echo "variable FOO is set to $FOO"
      echo $FOO    # when FOO is unset

5. Lists based on && and || not implemented.  I really miss
      command || exit

6. Compound commands not implemented.  I especially miss
   subshells.  Expanding on item 4,
      (cd somewhere; command) || exit

Thanks for listening.  This message is suitable for
public viewing; you are welcome to forward it to a
mailing list if you like.

     - Larry Doolittle   <LRDoolittle at lbl.gov>