On Tue, Apr 28, 2020 at 08:14:28PM +0200, andrej--- via Bug reports for the GNU Bourne Again SHell wrote: > f() { local x=a; } > declare -r x > f # bash: local: x: readonly variable > > This^^^ should not fail; it hinders reusability of shell functions and makes > them context-dependent.
The purpose of 'readonly' as a variable attribute is to supplement a restricted shell environment. If a variable is set readonly, it's because the system administrator, or whoever set up the enviroment, demands that this variable NOT be changed by the end user. If the end user were able to change it simply by declaring it as local inside a function, breaking the restricted shell would be too easy. (The fact that restricted shells are a joke doesn't change this stance.)