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**askrieger** · May 10, 2007, 06:52 PM

Re: Quasar Accounting Install Error

I'd suggest looking for the misplaced left parenthesis in line 57 of the install script.

./install: 57: Syntax error: "(" unexpected

**Pendragon** · May 11, 2007, 04:53 AM

Re: Quasar Accounting Install Error

Hi,

You need to edit the install file and change the first line from:
#!/bin/sh
to
#!/bin/bash

It should then install fine.

**askrieger** · May 11, 2007, 02:20 PM

Re: Quasar Accounting Install Error

Ah, Hah! Another victim of the worst decision that the Ubuntu Developers ever made! Here's a drastically oversimplified version of the story.

Back during the Edgy development process, the Ubuntu developers decided to make Ubuntu boot somewhat faster than it had in previous releases. This might save dual booters a few minutes a day when switching from windoze to Linux a couple of times. Obviously, this makes (*)buntu look much snappier than the high priced alternative. They did this by switching the default shell (Linux's commands line processor) from Bash to Dash. The reason is that Dash is 1/8 the size of Bash and therefore loads eight times as fast.

<Begin(Oversimplify)>Unfortunately, they didn't consider WHY Bash is so much larger than Dash. It is much more capable than Dash. Almost everyone uses Bash (or an even more powerful work-alike) as their default shell. Therefore, programmers make the implicit assumption that everyone uses Bash as their default shell. I posted a bug about this decision and it was summarily dismissed by the developers with the rationale that it wasn't their business to cater to sloppy programmers.<End(Oversimplify)>, (and I never used the word POSIX!)

You can take Pendragon's suggestion and change the first line of the install script from "#! /bin/sh" to "#! /bin/bash". It will solve your immediate problem. But then, the next time you try to use a shell script that uses an advanced feature of Bash, it will fail. By then you are almost certain to have forgotten the solution to the problem. Therefore I'd like to suggest a different solution. Start a Konsole and enter the following line

Code:

sudo ln /bin/bash /bin/sh

The problem is now solved and the (*)buntu developers never have to know that YOU are catering to the thousands of sloppy programmers (like me) who don't even KNOW that there's a POSIX standard for shells.

**penguin.ch** · May 11, 2007, 02:28 PM

Re: Quasar Accounting Install Error

Originally posted by askrieger

the problem is now solved

As long as you refrain from upgrading, that is ... why I went even further, adding the following to /etc/rc.local ...:

Code:

if [ "`ls -l /bin/sh | grep 'dash'`" ]
then
 rm /bin/sh
 ln -s /bin/bash /bin/sh
fi

**askrieger** · May 11, 2007, 06:57 PM

Re: Quasar Accounting Install Error

The problem (admittedly small) with rc.local is that unless you NEVER reboot, you're going to be testing for Dash every time you reboot even though you fixed the link the first time you rebooted. The other thought that occurred to me is that the rc.local fix will only work for dist-upgrades and not for complete re-installs. It may be merely superstition on my part, but I do a complete re-installation on each of my machines (except for Dapper, which doesn't change) every two or three releases. It keeps my configuration files up to date.

But, I must admit that I had completely forgotten about the Dash-Bash fiasco until Pendragon brought it up because Beetlespace had fallen victim to exactly the situation that prompted me to file the bug on Edgy in the first place. I then checked and found that my /bin/sh pointed at Dash on the box that got the re-install for Feisty.

The irony is that Debian which is widely regarded as considering that their user community consists only of sysadmins and programmers, has /bin/sh pointing at Bash while Ubuntu which is now considered THE DISTRO for new users is holding the banner for Posix Purity and damn the users, so that they boot up a minute faster.

**penguin.ch** · May 12, 2007, 12:14 AM

Re: Quasar Accounting Install Error

Originally posted by askrieger

The problem (admittedly small) with rc.local

Substantial criticism is always welcome (!).

Originally posted by askrieger

is that unless you NEVER reboot, you're going to be testing for Dash every time you reboot

I reboot every few days as well as in particular subsequent to an upgrade (within the same release, just to clarify that). At least from my experience, that's the easiest way to make sure the fix stays permanent - despite updating / upgrading ...

[quote=askrieger]
even though you fixed the ]

Which, from my experience, does not necessarily mean that it will stay that way: at least once, an update / upgrade did move the shell pointer back to trash, er, Dash - which, in turn, caused me to hack the rc.local ...

Originally posted by askrieger

I do a complete re-installation on each of my machines

So do I, mainly to muck out my own customizations and start afresh

Originally posted by askrieger

Beetlespace had fallen victim to exactly the situation that prompted me to file the bug

In the mean time, there have been a few more (therapied by me ... 8) )

Originally posted by askrieger

Debian [...] has /bin/sh pointing at Bash

Confirmed (my new server runs Debian 4.0 instead of *buntu - for more than one reason ...).

**Pendragon** · May 14, 2007, 07:28 AM

Re: Quasar Accounting Install Error

May I just thank everyone for the reason WHY the line should be changed. I only knew it had to be changed because I use and compile/install Quasar and modify it to work in the UK.

I ran into the problem some time ago and one of the Quasar programmers posted the fix for me. BTW the Quasar guys are the best, very helpful and informative about Quasar.

If anyone needs a quality set of Accounts I can recommend their 1.4.7 (Latest GPL version), they also sell a POS version, now 1.5.

Regards, Pendragon

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