That depends on the language. In unix shell, echo $JOB and echo ${JOB} are identical, though the latter is more flexible (Allowing eg. `echo ${JOB:-unem

That depends on the language. In unix shell, echo $JOB and echo ${JOB} are identical, though the latter is more flexible (Allowing eg. `echo ${JOB:-unemployment}` or `echo ${JOB}SUCKS`).