From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: util-linux-owner@vger.kernel.org Received: from mta02.eastlink.ca ([24.224.136.13]:55916 "EHLO mta02.eastlink.ca" rhost-flags-OK-OK-OK-OK) by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id S1750739AbbCNEuR (ORCPT ); Sat, 14 Mar 2015 00:50:17 -0400 MIME-version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Received: from cmgw05.eastlink.ca ([71.7.199.171]) by mta02.eastlink.ca (Oracle Communications Messaging Exchange Server 7u4-21.01 64bit (built Feb 16 2011)) with ESMTP id <0NL600H19QOU0L11@mta02.eastlink.ca> for util-linux@vger.kernel.org; Sat, 14 Mar 2015 01:50:15 -0300 (ADT) Date: Sat, 14 Mar 2015 01:50:14 -0300 To: =?iso-8859-1?Q?P=E1draig?= Brady Cc: Ruediger Meier , util-linux@vger.kernel.org Subject: Re: tailf, really needed? Message-id: <20150314045014.GO3933@cordes.ca> References: <201503131000.29307.sweet_f_a@gmx.de> <5502CBFF.6090405@draigBrady.com> In-reply-to: <5502CBFF.6090405@draigBrady.com> From: Peter Cordes Sender: util-linux-owner@vger.kernel.org List-ID: On Fri, Mar 13, 2015 at 11:37:35AM +0000, Pádraig Brady wrote: > On 13/03/15 09:00, Ruediger Meier wrote: > > > > Last but not least, is anybody using tailf at all? Google does not find > > much about people who are using this. > > A deprecation warning makes sense to me. I haven't checked the semantics carefully, but could we just turn tailf into a wrapper for tail -f, to avoid maintaining code that's gotten old and crufty? And if there aren't corner cases where someone might still want the old tailf, until it's finally removed from util-linux. something like: #!/bin/sh if [ "$(tty <&2)" != "not a tty" ];then echo "warning: tailf is deprecated, and just a wrapper for tail -f" >&2 fi exec tail -f "$@" Or is this just asking for gratuitous breakage and confusion beyond what any existing users will get when they upgrade to a util-linux where it's finally dropped after a few years of deprecation? -- #define X(x,y) x##y Peter Cordes ; e-mail: X(peter@cor , des.ca) "The gods confound the man who first found out how to distinguish the hours! Confound him, too, who in this place set up a sundial, to cut and hack my day so wretchedly into small pieces!" -- Plautus, 200 BC