Introduction
============
-This is GNU Bash, version 2.05b. Bash is the GNU Project's Bourne
-Again SHell, a complete implementation of the POSIX.2 shell spec,
+This is GNU Bash, version 4.4. Bash is the GNU Project's Bourne
+Again SHell, a complete implementation of the POSIX shell spec,
but also with interactive command line editing, job control on
architectures that support it, csh-like features such as history
substitution and brace expansion, and a slew of other features.
large Unix-style man page. The man page is the definitive description
of the shell's features.
-See the file CWRU/POSIX.NOTES for a discussion of how Bash differs
-from the POSIX.2 spec and a description of the Bash `posix mode'.
+See the file POSIX for a discussion of how the Bash defaults differ
+from the POSIX spec and a description of the Bash `posix mode'.
There are some user-visible incompatibilities between this version
-of Bash and the previous widely-distributed version, bash-1.14.
-For details, see the file COMPAT. The NEWS file tersely lists
-features that are new in this release.
+of Bash and previous widely-distributed versions, bash-4.2 and
+bash-4.3. For details, see the file COMPAT. The NEWS file tersely
+lists features that are new in this release.
-Bash is free software, distributed under the terms of the [GNU]
-General Public License, version 2. For more information, see the
-file COPYING.
+Bash is free software, distributed under the terms of the [GNU] General
+Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation,
+version 3 of the License (or any later version). For more information,
+see the file COPYING.
A number of frequently-asked questions are answered in the file
`doc/FAQ'.
-To compile Bash, try typing `./configure', then `make'. Bash
-auto-configures the build process, so no further intervention
-should be necessary. Bash builds with `gcc' by default if it is
-available. If you want to use `cc' instead, type
+To compile Bash, type `./configure', then `make'. Bash auto-configures
+the build process, so no further intervention should be necessary. Bash
+builds with `gcc' by default if it is available. If you want to use `cc'
+instead, type
CC=cc ./configure
The `bashbug' program includes much of this automatically.
+Questions and requests for help with bash and bash programming may be
+sent to the help-bash@gnu.org mailing list.
+
If you would like to contact the Bash maintainers directly, send mail
to bash-maintainers@gnu.org.
Enjoy!
Chet Ramey
-chet@po.cwru.edu
+chet.ramey@case.edu
+
+Copying and distribution of this file, with or without modification,
+are permitted in any medium without royalty provided the copyright
+notice and this notice are preserved. This file is offered as-is,
+without any warranty.