Configuration Information [Automatically generated, do not change]: Machine: x86_64 OS: netbsd Compiler: gcc Compilation CFLAGS: -O2 -D_FORTIFY_SOURCE=2 -I/usr/include -Wno-parentheses -Wno-format-security uname output: NetBSD jinx.noi.kre.to 8.99.30 NetBSD 8.99.30 (1.1-20190114) #9: Mon Jan 14 13:29:08 ICT 2019 k...@onyx.coe.psu.ac.th:/usr/obj/testing/kernels/amd64/JINX amd64 Machine Type: x86_64--netbsd
Bash Version: 5.0 Patch Level: 7 Release Status: release Description: POSIX specifies that printf(1) has no options, and by not specifying that it is intended to comply with XBD 12.2 effectivly says that it is not. That is, in printf, the first arg is always the format string, whatever it contains. So printf --- should print three - chars to stdout printf -%d 3 should print -3 to stdout those do not work in bash (nor do any similar cases), even when bash is in posix mode. Repeat-By: As above - start the format string with a '-'. Note that this can fixed withpit sacrificing bash's "-v var" option, as POSIX also says that if the format arg contains no % conversions, and there are more following args, then the results are unspecified. "-v" contains no % conversions, and yet there are more args (the var name for one) so this is a case where the results are unspecofoed, and bash can do what ot likes. However printf -v must write "-v" to stdout, not give a usage message about a mssing arg to the 'v' option (which this is not). Fix: Not a fix but a suggestion: if the arg count is <= 1 (that's argc-1 as it is when printf starts) or if argv[1] contains a '%', then skip getopt() processing, and simply use argv[1] as the format. If the arg count is > 1, and argv[1] contains no '%' chars, then go ahead and do getopt() and anything the results of that cause to happen. The NetBSD printf has (quite) recently been changed to work like that - previously it had been made to simply drop getopt() processing all the time, but apparently some stupid scripts believe that it is correct to write: printf -- format args (it isn't, nor should it ever be needed) and broke because of that change. That now "works" again because of the above hack. Please, let's try to avoid losing control of printf like what happened to echo, stick to the requirements of POSIX where they apply and actually speficy the output required.