How-To-Repeat:

In 4.0.8:

In mysqld_safe: ... --open-files=*) open_files=`echo "$arg" | sed -e "s;--open-files=;;"` ;; --open-files-limit=*) open_files=`echo "$arg" | sed -e "s;--open-files-limit=;;"` ;; --core-file-size=*) core_file_size=`echo "$arg" | sed -e "s;--core_file_size=;;"` ;; ...

The last line above should read

--core-file-size=*) core_file_size=`echo "$arg" | sed -e "s;--core-file-size=;;"` ;;

There was a similar issue with open-files-limit and confusion on when to use a dash and when to use an underline.

And since we are on the subject of mysqld_safe, I would like to throw in another feature request:

To have something like --startup-check-tables to enable the "Checking tables in $DATADIR" section of the file rather than having to edit mysqld_safe. :)

-steve-