Re: [PATCH] bootstrap: remove the need for a sorted .gitignore

[Jim Meyering]

Gary V. Vaughan wrote:
...
>>>> so it would be safer to probe for
>>>> and use a backslash safe echo here
>>>>
>>> Much better would be to just use printf.  Safer, simpler and more portable!
>>
>> Yes.  For uses like this, echo has been deprecated
>> for well over a decade.
>
> And here's another one :)  What users (if any) will I be leaving behind if
> the next libtool release ejects all the echo probing gunk in favour of uniform
> use of printf throughout?

None.

"printf '%s\n' ..." has been a fine replacement for plain "echo" for at
least 5 years (probably more like 10), even with most museum-piece shells.