The system command returns the status of the command that you executed - in this case whether you successfully backgrounded the two processes.

Which you do.

What you need is to background the jobs, reap them, and then collect the return value when you reap them.

I'd do that by calling open twice, then calling waitpid twice and storing $?. (Yeah, it is a lot more complicated - but you are trying to keep straight a much more complicated situation.)

In reply to Re: multi-command sytem call by tilly
in thread multi-command sytem call by water

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