Re: OT: minimum bs for dd?

[Stefan Monnier <monnier@iro.umontreal.ca>]

>> On Sun, May 16, 2021 at 01:31:49PM -0500, Richard Owlett wrote:
>> > I'll bite ;}
>> > When is it the right tool?
>> 
>> When you're using it to convert ebcdic to ascii, while swapping bytes and
>> reblocking an ancient file from a barely readable archival tape.
>> 
>> > When is it not?
>> 
>> When copying a file.
>> 
> When copying a file and writing it to another medium, perhaps eg when writing
> a DVD .iso file directly to a USB stick, it's ideal.

Not sure about ideal:

    cat <foo.iso >/dev/sdb

is one char longer than

    dd <foo.iso >/dev/sdb

but it's often faster (you can speed up `dd` by providing a larger
`bs=` argument, but then you've lost the length advantage ;-)


        Stefan