It would be great if the default bash prompt on debian systems included
the return code of the last-executed pipeline.

  Visible return codes are useful for debugging, and for problem
  reports.  They can also expose some failures that otherwise wouldn't
  be obvious from the stdout/stderr of the process alone.

  Visible return codes are also useful in shell interactions that may
  eventually become part of a script, because they encourage thinking
  about the shell programmatically (even if it is as simple as
  considering "if then" conditionals).

The patch below provides this change.

Thanks for maintaining bash in debian!

Regards,

I very strongly support this proposal.  It is frequently critical for
the user to know the return code of things run at the command line,
particularly when the program provides no other obvious information.
This is also incredibly important when helping other users try to debug
issues.

jamie.