inconsistency on read/execute permissions for shell procedures

[Sean Casey]

On BSD systems, the kernel can understand that a file is a shell file
and start a shell to interpret it.  It seems that the shell must me able
to read the file to be able to execute it.  I really do not understand why
this is so, since a simple solution would be to have the kernel hand the
shell the file on standard input if --x access is permitted.  The user
would see the execution, but not the source.

This solution seems so simple that I have probably missed a loophole
somewhere.  If not, why don't "they" do it?
-- 

-  Sean Casey				UUCP:	sean at ukma.UUCP   or
-  Department of Mathematics			{cbosgd,anlams,hasmed}!ukma!sean
-  University of Kentucky		ARPA:	ukma!sean at ANL-MCS.ARPA