On Tue, 29 Nov 2011 01:26:39 +0400, Dmitry Kurochkin <dmitry.kurochkin@gmail.com> wrote: > > echo \$((count + 1)) > "$notmuch_counter_state_path" > > I do not think this is really an optimization. And I find expr more > clear than using $(()). I always have troubles remembering "random > special char syntax" (yeah, not a Perl fan :)), prefer human friendly > words. This allows the shell to do the math itself, without calling a subprocess. I agree with Tomi that $(()) is a little cleaner. jamie.