wierd behavior of echo on a Vax

[cliff bedore*]

In article <DOB.90Aug13152348 at tws1.inel.gov> dob at inel.gov (David L. Brooks) writes:
>We've been having some strange problems with logfiles created by scripts,
>recently, and i've narrowed it down to this pattern:
>
>echo `some basic command` "some other text string" >> logfile
>
>the command can come before *or* after the text, and it doesn't matter if
>the logfile is created via >, appended to, or if the output goes into a
>pipe, etc.
>
>the behavior is this:  interspersed between each character in the "text
>string" is a rubout, aka /377 character.  this happens only on the Vax
>running Ultrix 3.1.  It works fine on our DECStation 3100's running 3.1D.
>
>the work around is to do something like this:
>
>set date=`date`
>echo $date "some other relevant text" >> $LOGFILE
>
>commands other than date, such as whoami, exhibit the same results.  has
>anyone else run into this?  DEC, any suggestions?
>
>on a final note:  the signature following my address was added by lawyers
>(i'm pretty sure not interactively, but can't guarantee that), otherwise we
>can't post.  every time i post, i always get at least one humorous comment.
>i'm really in a mood for a few good humorous comments right now, so let
>those creative juices flow...
>
>dlb
>--
>------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>David L. Brooks
>Idaho National Engineering Lab.  INTERNET: dob at INEL.GOV
>POB 1625 M.S. 1206               Phone: (208) 526-0826
>Idaho Falls, Id. 83415           FAX:   (208) 526-1419
>------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I replied to David via mail that I had seen this and then experimented.  I
can replicate his problems consistently and I found that using /bin/echo
vice echo also fixes the problem.  I seem to remember that when DEC
(somebody) converted Ultrix to full 8-bit capabilities some things broke.
This may be one of them.  

Cliff

Disclaimer "I stole Dave's. I liked it so much"