> Alternatively you can use the newer (and highly recommended) bash syntax that is also quote safe Well, mostly: $ a=1; b='*'; c='!'; d='*' $ [[ $a = $b &

> Alternatively you can use the newer (and highly recommended) bash syntax that is also quote safe Well, mostly: $ a=1; b='*'; c='!'; d='*' $ [[ $a = $b && $c = $d ]] && echo true true $ [[ $a = "$b" && $c = "$d" ]] && echo true $ From the bash(1) manpage: > When the == and != operators are used, the string to the right of the operator is considered a pattern and matched according to the rules described below under Pattern Matching, as if the extglob shell option were enabled. POSIX syntax is more consistent and more portable: $ [ "$a" = "$b" ] && [ "$c" = "$d" ] && echo true $