Re: libc6 posix version/breakage
>"Portable" shell scripts CANNOT use these POSIX.2001-mandated command
>line syntaxes; there are still operating systems in wide use that do
>not implement them. Thus, for instance, config.sub/config.guess will
>continue to use the old syntax for the foreseeable future, as will
>gcc's Makefiles.
>
>POSIX.2001's removal of the "obsolete" syntaxes is brain damaged and
>coreutils MUST NOT follow suit.
<aol> What Zack said. </aol>
For that matter, some of the syntax removals are going to throw users
pretty severely as well.
tail -20 doesn't work?
diff -c3 doesn't work?
This is an example of 'standards' rushing ahead of standard usage. :-P
>I would encourage y'all to address
>this, not by backing down glibc's _POSIX2_VERSION number, but by
>patching coreutils to support the old syntaxes again - unconditionally
>and without warnings. And then beat the upstream maintainers of
>coreutils upside the head until they take said patch. Do the same for
>any other shell utility that has been infected with this brain damage.
>
>zw
<aol> Yeah! </aol>
Go ahead and back down the _POSIX2_VERSION number as well, though. :-P
No reason for Debian to claim to support a version of POSIX which
removes standard usages, and I suppose it's more honest to not claim to
be compliant when you not only aren't, but don't want to be. :-P
--
Nathanael Nerode <neroden at gcc.gnu.org>
http://home.twcny.rr.com/nerode/neroden/fdl.html
Reply to: