Re: many packages FTBFS, if $TAPE is set

[John Goerzen <jgoerzen@complete.org>]

On Wed August 29 2007 11:00:50 am Steinar H. Gunderson wrote:
> On Wed, Aug 29, 2007 at 10:58:17AM -0500, John Goerzen wrote:
> > I don't think so.  Hasn't tar defaulted to something approximately
> > /dev/rmt0 for *YEARS*, not just on Linux but on just about every
> > platform, if -f is not given?
>
> No.

You cite nothing to back that up, and everything I can see shows that you're 
incorrect.  Let's look around a bit:

* GNU Tar from Debian 1.1, version 1.11.8-5, dated Aug 25 1996:
  "default /dev/rmt0"
  http://archive.debian.org/dists/Debian-1.1/source/base/tar-1.11.8-5.tar.gz

* OpenBSD: defaults to /dev/rst0, honors $TAPE
  http://www.openbsd.org/cgi-bin/man.cgi?query=tar

* AIX: looks on the "default device (usually tape)", 
  "default file name of the form /dev/rmt0"
  
http://web.uvic.ca/helpdesk/cgi-bin/cgi?Script=script/unixman.csh&command=tar

* FreeBSD: "default is /dev/sa0", honors $TAPE
  http://www2.tu-berlin.de/zrz/dienste/www/manpages/tar.html

* bsdtar, in FreeBSD and Debian:
  "default tape device", /dev/sa0 on FreeBSD, honors $TAPE
  man bsdtar in Debian

* Solaris: Uses value defined in /etc/default/tar, $TAPE
  overrides.  
  http://www.net.uom.gr/Books/Manuals/usail/man/solaris/tar.1.html

* GNU tar, present version: compile-time default, honors $TAPE
  "usually it is standard output or some physical tape drive"
    
http://www.gnu.org/software/tar/manual/html_node/file-tutorial.html#file-tutorial
  http://www.gnu.org/software/tar/manual/html_node/defaults.html#defaults

I think that, at minimum, we should work to achieve compatibility with 
bsdtar, which is already in Debian.

Speaking of which, we probably ought to use /etc/alternatives for tar at some 
point.

-- John