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
Because the OS/161 base system does not include a shell and makes no
assumptions about the shell's operation, system() cannot actually
reliably use the shell to parse and execute command.
Consequently, system() does it 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 once the shell is
available.