posix ps (was Re: Adding `pgrep' and `pkill' to /usr/bin)

[Garance A Drosihn]

At 6:08 PM +1000 3/28/04, Stephen McKay wrote:
>On Saturday, 27th March 2004, Garance A Drosihn wrote:
>
>>>$ PERSONALITY=freebsd ps -?
>>
>>  Secondly, I personally am not fond of commands which COMPLETELY
>>  change their behavior based on environment variables.  Different
>>  options, different formats, different rules.
>
>Unifying ps on all Unices (including FreeBSD) is an excellent idea,
>and I fully support this.
>
>Using an environment variable (no matter what name is used) to
>switch between radically different personalities is an appalling
>idea.  No script can depend on the output of ps thereafter.

Fwiw, I do have plans to improve `ps' some more, but no intention
for adding dramatic personality changes based on any environment
variable.  If the next version of POSIX/SUS describes such a
variable, *then* we'll consider supporting it.  That is the only
context where it makes sense, imo.  That's just my personal option,
based on my previous experience with such variables.

Note that I'll probably be tied up with "other matters" until
April 15th or so, so don't expect to hear too much from me in
the immediate future.

-- 
Garance Alistair Drosehn            =   gad at gilead.netel.rpi.edu
Senior Systems Programmer           or  gad at freebsd.org
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute    or  drosih at rpi.edu