This utility is typically used in shell scripts, as shown in the EXAMPLES section. The special built-in utility : is sometimes more efficient than true.

EXAMPLES

This command is executed forever:

while true
do
    command
done

RATIONALE

The true utility has been retained in this volume of POSIX.1-2008, even though the shell special built-in : provides similar functionality, because true is widely used in historical scripts and is less cryptic to novice script readers.

FUTURE DIRECTIONS

None.

CHANGE HISTORY

First released in Issue 2.

Issue 6

IEEE Std 1003.1-2001 (“POSIX.1”)/Cor 1-2002, item XCU/TC1/D6/39 is applied, replacing the terms ``None'' and ``Default'' from the STDERR and EXIT STATUS sections, respectively, with terms as defined in Utility Description Defaults.

End of informative text.

January 1, 2016 posix.fail