system
OS/161 Reference Manual
Name
system - run command as subprocess
Library
Standard C Library (libc, -lc)
Synopsis
#include <stdlib.h>
int
system(const char *command);
Description
The system routine executes command as if it were typed into
the shell.
Return Values
On success, system returns the exit status returned from
waitpid.
On error, -1 is returned, and errno
is set according to the error encountered.
Errors
Any of the errors from fork or
waitpid. Errors generated during
execv cannot readily be reported
back in detail.
Restrictions
In OS/161 there may be no shell and when there is the shell's behavior
and syntax is not specified. For this reason we make no assumptions
about the shell's operation, and assume system() cannot reliably use
the shell to parse and execute command. system() does this
itself, in a way which may not necessarily be compatible with the
shell as it finally appears. You may want to change system() to invoke
the shell in a suitable fashion when/if a shell is available.