Index: trunk/Ohana/src/opihi/lib.shell/parse.c
===================================================================
--- trunk/Ohana/src/opihi/lib.shell/parse.c	(revision 2792)
+++ trunk/Ohana/src/opihi/lib.shell/parse.c	(revision 2801)
@@ -56,6 +56,6 @@
     if (*V1 == 0) goto error;
 
+    /* command replacement.  execute the line, place answer in val. */
     if (*V1 == '`') {
-      /* command replacement.  execute the line, place answer in val. */
 
       /* look for end of line, must be ` */
@@ -79,5 +79,8 @@
 	if (*B == '\n') *B = ' ';
       }
-    } else {
+    } 
+
+    /* simple variable assignment */
+    if (*V1 != '`') {
       /* dvomath returns a new string, or NULL, with the result of the expression */
       val = dvomath (1, &V1, &size, 0);
@@ -107,5 +110,5 @@
     V = strncreate (N+1, L - N - 1);
 
-    /* expand value in parenthesis */
+    /* expand value in brackets */
     val = dvomath (1, &V, &size, 0);
     if (val == NULL) {
@@ -172,5 +175,6 @@
     *c1 = 0;
 
-    /* value in brackets must be an expression of some sort */
+    /* value in brackets must be a math expression of some sort.
+       isolated words are not valid here */
     val = dvomath (1, &L, &size, -1);
     if (val == NULL) {