[quote] Some Linux/Unix commands are "external" programs/scripts/applications/etc from the shell and others are part of the shell. The echo command is part of the the shell and is an "internal" command.[/quote] "echo" is also included as an external command into GNU coreutils and may be different from the shells echo [code] $ dlocate /bin/echo coreutils: /bin/echo $ LANG=C /bin/echo --help Usage: /bin/echo [OPTION]... [STRING]... ---------------8<------------------- NOTE: your shell may have its own version of echo, which usually supersedes the version described here. Please refer to your shell's documentation for details about the options it supports. [/code]