dash test -w oddities

[Remi Broemeling <remi@nexopia.com>]

Today I encountered some oddities using `test -w` as well as `[ -w`.  
The machine in question is an NFS-root (exported and mounted read-only) 
server running Ubuntu 8.04 LTS.

------
root@nexhost:~# mount
rootfs on / type rootfs (rw)
<snip non-relevant mounts>
192.168.10.60:/var/lib/tftpboot/netboot/default.r14599-amd64 on / type 
nfs 
(ro,relatime,vers=3,rsize=524288,wsize=524288,hard,nointr,nolock,proto=tcp,timeo=7,retrans=3,sec=sys,addr=192.168.10.60)
<snip non-relevant mounts>
------

If I try using -w in bash, things work as expected:
------
root@nexhost:~# bash
root@nexhost:~# [ -w / ] && echo Writable Root
root@nexhost:~# test -w / && echo Writable Root
root@nexhost:~# /usr/bin/[ -w / ] && echo Writable Root
root@nexhost:~# /usr/bin/test -w / && echo Writable Root
------

However, if I try using -w in dash, the builtin does not seem to work as 
I would expect:
------
# [ -w / ] && echo Writable Root
Writable Root
# test -w / && echo Writable Root
Writable Root
# /usr/bin/[ -w / ] && echo Writable Root
# /usr/bin/test -w / && echo Writable Root
------

I'm not sure if I am misunderstanding what is supposed to be happening 
with test/[, or if this is a bug in the dash built-ins, but I thought 
that I should at least mention it in case it is a bug.

Thanks.
-- 
Remi Broemeling

Sr System Administrator
Nexopia.com Inc.
P: 780.444.1250 X435
F: 780.487.0376
E: remi@nexopia.com
N: rbroemeling


There are two major products that come out of Berkeley: LSD and UNIX. We 
don't believe this to be a coincidence.
Jeremy S. Anderson