On 15Feb2013 08:48, Cameron Simpson cs@zip.com.au wrote:
On 13Feb2013 16:03, Suvayu Ali fatkasuvayu+linux@gmail.com wrote: | I know about redirection, but was not aware that I could also open | sockets! Thanks a lot for the nice explanation, I'll read up more.
Unless bash has even more weirdness in it than I thought, the redirection is probably relying on a Linuxism to open a port via a Linux specific /dev entry. Plan 9 pioneered that mechanism. (That said, I know bash sometimes fakes up /dev/stdin etc for platform lacking them, so maybe it fakes /dev/tcp as well...)
I had cause to look into this the other week. This isn't a linuxism, it is entirely bash internal i.e. even Linux doesn't have /dev/tcp/... to open a TCP connection. Plan 9 does of course, allowing all programs to do this easily.
Cheers, Cameron Simpson cs@zip.com.au