os.system and standard C function system() limitations

[techtonik]

BPO	8147
Nosy	@birkenfeld, @briancurtin

^{Note: these values reflect the state of the issue at the time it was migrated and might not reflect the current state.}

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GitHub fields:

assignee = 'https://github.com/birkenfeld'
closed_at = <Date 2010-03-15.13:43:20.045>
created_at = <Date 2010-03-15.12:09:44.296>
labels = ['docs']
title = 'os.system and standard C function system() limitations'
updated_at = <Date 2010-03-15.13:43:19.989>
user = 'https://bugs.python.org/techtonik'

bugs.python.org fields:

activity = <Date 2010-03-15.13:43:19.989>
actor = 'brian.curtin'
assignee = 'georg.brandl'
closed = True
closed_date = <Date 2010-03-15.13:43:20.045>
closer = 'brian.curtin'
components = ['Documentation']
creation = <Date 2010-03-15.12:09:44.296>
creator = 'techtonik'
dependencies = []
files = []
hgrepos = []
issue_num = 8147
keywords = []
message_count = 2.0
messages = ['101097', '101107']
nosy_count = 3.0
nosy_names = ['georg.brandl', 'techtonik', 'brian.curtin']
pr_nums = []
priority = 'low'
resolution = 'rejected'
stage = None
status = 'closed'
superseder = None
type = None
url = 'https://bugs.python.org/issue8147'
versions = []

[techtonik]

http://docs.python.org/library/os.html#os.system

...This is implemented by calling the Standard C function system(), and has the same limitations...

Which limitations?

BTW, is the Windows 98 comment can be dropped.

[briancurtin]

That would depend on the implementation of the system() call on your platform. There are already two notes for Unix and Windows right below that paragraph.

Going further into lower level specifics of the system() call is outside the scope of that documentation and is a quick internet search away.

For example:
posix - http://www.opengroup.org/onlinepubs/000095399/functions/system.html
Windows - http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/277bwbdz.aspx