[olug] sed issues inside of a script

[Obi-Wan]

>> Also, using backticks is deprecated, so best practice would be to use $() in
>> any new scripts that you write.
> 
> IIRC, $() is a bashism and will not work in standard sh

That's correct.  Better practice is to fully understand the shell in
which you're working.  From the sh(1) man page on an older Solaris box:

  Command Substitution
     The shell reads commands from the string between  two  grave
     accents (``) and the standard output from these commands may
     be used as all or part of a word. Trailing newlines from the
     standard output are removed.

     No interpretation is done on the string before the string is
     read,  except to remove backslashes (\) used to escape other
     characters. Backslashes may be used to escape a grave accent
     (`) or another backslash (\) and are removed before the com-
     mand string is read. Escaping grave  accents  allows  nested
     command  substitution.  If  the  command  substitution  lies
     within a pair of double  quotes  ("  ...`  ...`  ...  "),  a
     backslash  used  to  escape  a  double  quote  (\")  will be
     removed; otherwise, it will be left intact.

     If a backslash is used to escape a newline character  (\new-
     line),  both  the backslash and the newline are removed (see
     the later section on Quoting). In addition, backslashes used
     to  escape dollar signs (\$) are removed. Since no parameter
     substitution is done on the  command  string  before  it  is
     read,  inserting  a backslash to escape a dollar sign has no
     effect. Backslashes that precede characters other than \, `,
     ", newline, and $ are left intact when the command string is
     read.


-- 
Ben "Obi-Wan" Hollingsworth                             obiwan at jedi.com
   The stuff of earth competes for the allegiance I owe only to the
     Giver of all good things, so if I stand, let me stand on the
       promise that You will pull me through.  -- Rich Mullins