I think GP's point was that `[` feels like syntax, but - importantly - isn't.
Yes, `[` is a command, and has a man page and everything, but in a script it doesn't look like a command. It looks like something "special" is going on.
Whereas using `test` emphasises the point that you're just running another program. That all `if` does is check the output status of whatever program is being run, whether that's `test`/`[`, or `grep`, or anything else at all.
(Personally, I don't think that emphasis is necessary. But I've been using shell scripts long enough that I understand these nuances fairly well without having to think about them much any more. So I think that GP's point is a reasonable perspective to have, and worth considering.)
Yes, `[` is a command, and has a man page and everything, but in a script it doesn't look like a command. It looks like something "special" is going on.
Whereas using `test` emphasises the point that you're just running another program. That all `if` does is check the output status of whatever program is being run, whether that's `test`/`[`, or `grep`, or anything else at all.
(Personally, I don't think that emphasis is necessary. But I've been using shell scripts long enough that I understand these nuances fairly well without having to think about them much any more. So I think that GP's point is a reasonable perspective to have, and worth considering.)