On Fri, Jun 13, 2008 at 1:14 PM, Theo de Raadt  wrote:

...

quoted text
>> Now, if a comment line ends with "\", should the next line

>> be also treated as comment? I noticed this behaviour and I do

>> not know whether or not it should work like that.

>

> Well, because you used \ to end the line, that # is not at the start of a

> line.  It is in the middle of a split line.  And the previously described

> behaviour therefore hapens.

Sadly, this varies among languages and file-formats.  You just have to

know how the one you're working in behaves.
Languages and file-formats where comment removal occurs before

backslash-newline removal:

    sh

    csh

    perl

    python

    awk

    /etc/sudoers

    /etc/ipsec.conf
Languages and file-formats where backslash-newline removal occurs

before comment removal:

    tcl

    C

    C++

    getcap(3)-style files

    /etc/pf.conf
Philip Guenther