Hi Alfred, Thanks for helping with GNU. Please send future suggestions about the fileutils to the mailing list, [EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://mail.gnu.org/pipermail/bug-fileutils/ If you're interested in discussion (and with new feature addition that's always a good idea), you'll find a wider audience at [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Alfred M. Szmidt) wrote: > I'm currently working on adding some GNU/Hurd extensions to the > FIleutils package (unknown user bit, author flag, etc), and have a few > questions. > > What is the correct way to define that the target system is running GNU? Do you mean `detect' rather than `define'? Usually the compiler defines symbols that tell what type of system it's compiling for. If you mean `detect', then please reconsider your approach. Instead, please look into using autoconf-style feature tests that detect the precise function/interface/semantics/functionality that you want to use. Then write an autoconf macro that sets HAVE_SOME_FEATURE appropriately and make the code test that macro. > I first thought of using __GNU__, but decided that I was unsure that this > was the correct way of doing it. > > And is there any legal paper work that I should be concerned about? Yes. If you make substantial changes that end up being incorporated, you'll have to have signed/snailed copyright papers to the FSF. > Here is an small example on how `ls' will work on GNU (/dev/null being an > passive translator and /dev/active (fictions translator) being an active one): > $ ls -l /dev/null /dev/active > crw-rw-rw-rw- 1 root mhp 0, 0 Jan 25 20:56 /dev/null => /hurd/null >(17) > crw-r--r--r-- 1 ams ams 0, 0 Mar 8 14:38 /dev/active => unknown >(760) This behavior should not be the default. Many programs parse the output of `ls -l', and wouldn't be able to handle such a change. > And the --author/-E switch to show the author flag of the file: > $ ls -lE /dev/null > crw-rw-rw-rw- 1 root mhp mhp 0, 0 Jan 25 20:56 /dev/null => >/hurd/null (17) > > Also, I change chmod to support the unknown user permission bits, and plan to >introduce a new utility called chauthor (to change the author field). > > -- > Alfred M. Szmidt _______________________________________________ Bug-fileutils mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://mail.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/bug-fileutils
