so use '2>&1' to redirect stderr to stdout. new ideas are great. but this isn't a new idea. "run a command silently unless it fails" is basic; it's the sort o

so use '2>&1' to redirect stderr to stdout. new ideas are great. but this isn't a new idea. "run a command silently unless it fails" is basic; it's the sort of thing that should make one think "i should search the shell man pages" rather than "i should roll my own new utility."