[log in to unmask] writes:
> Here's a sample of what I'm doing inside a PERL script:
>
>   $ciline = 'callci "purge foo.pub"' ;
>   @outline = $ciline ;
>   print `@outline` ;

...deletia...

> When I run perl -v I get
>
> This is perl, version 4.0

Throw away this obsolete version of Perl and either obtain 5.002 that is
bundled with gcc on http://jazz.external.hp.com, or get 5.003 from
ftp://ftp.orbitsw.com/pub/perl5.003.mov.gz.

Your code works OK on my Perl 5.002 running under MPE 5.5.  I haven't had time
yet to install 5.003.
--
Mark Bixby                      E-mail: [log in to unmask]
Coast Community College Dist.   Web: http://www.cccd.edu/~markb/
District Information Services   1370 Adams Ave, Costa Mesa, CA, USA 92626-5429
Technical Support               +1 714 438-4647
"You can tune a file system, but you can't tune a fish." - tunefs(1M)