Why is the file /bin/false so large?

[Marius Gedminas]

On Wed, Feb 10, 2010 at 08:27:30AM +0100, Loïc Grenié wrote:
> 2010/2/9 Seth <ubuntu-users at sehe.nl>:
> > Loïc Grenié <loic.grenie at gmail.com> :
> > >   Yes and no, sh/bash/dash is probably already in memory for some
> > >  (many) shell-scripts.
> >
> > The same thing goes for /bin/false _and_ a decent shell will cash the inode
> > for it.
> 
>     Indeed. I've never said the contrary. But you can still make
>     /bin/true and /bin/false smaller.

Incidentally, 'true' and 'false' are builtins in most shells, so the
binaries in /bin are almost never used.

> > setting up a shell environment, sourcing profiles
> > (beware /etc/bash_completion and their kin)
> 
>     I don't know whether bash parses its profiles for scripts (csh does not
>   for instance)

It does not.

dash, which is /bin/sh on most Ubuntu systems, also does not.

Regards,
Marius Gedminas
-- 
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bothered. That's the surest sign of classic art.
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