Ramsay Jones [off-list ref] writes:

I think the only change you need to make here (because /usr/bin/sh
on Ubuntu is usually 'dash' not 'bash') is to use octal rather than
hexadecimal. ie: CENT=$(printf "\302\242")

Perhaps an addition to Documentation/CodingGuidelines is in order?

 Documentation/CodingGuidelines | 9 +++++++++
 1 file changed, 9 insertions(+)

diff --git c/Documentation/CodingGuidelines w/Documentation/CodingGuidelines
index 9d5c27807a..78bc60665d 100644
--- c/Documentation/CodingGuidelines
+++ w/Documentation/CodingGuidelines

@@ -188,6 +188,15 @@ For shell scripts specifically (not exhaustive):
    hopefully nobody starts using "local" before they are reimplemented
    in C ;-)
 
+ - In 'printf' format string, do not use hexadecimals, as they are not
+   portable.  Write 
+
+     CENT=$(printf "\302\242")
+
+   not
+
+     CENT=$(printf "\xc2\xa2")
+
 
 For C programs: