On 28/05/2026 08:20, Arka Mondal wrote:
Hello,
I would like to discuss whether crtfile could be considered as a possible
new command for GNU coreutils.
I originally submitted crtfile for GNU package evaluation as a separate GNU
package. After reviewing the tarball, it was suggested that the utility fit
better as a new command in coreutils rather than as a separate GNU
package. I was advised to discuss on this mailing list before proceeding
further.
crtfile creates new files with specified attributes, such as permission
mode, owner, size, and optional initial content. The motivation is to
create a dedicated file handling utility.
Although there are changes that need to be made such as updating the bug
reporting address before a final v1.0.0 release. But overall the tarball
contains the utility to be released as v1.0.0 (source code-wise)
The tarball is available here: crtfile
<https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NM4a70-c-fiqaNjQkyXqKq3KkZkDFSJr/view?usp=sharing>
If Google Drive is not convenient, I can provide the tarball in another
preferred way.
I would appreciate feedback on it, and what the preferred next step is.
Thank you for your time.
Yours sincerely,
Arka
There are indeed overlaps with lots of existing coreutils.
Also relevant is the suggested touch --mode option,
with pertinent points mention in the associated thread:
https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/coreutils/2011-01/msg00025.html
Also there is overlap with the fallocate utility.
I'm not convinced about the need to add to coreutils though.
What is the main use case over combining existing utilities?
One I can think of is setting the mode atomically,
though with umask we can control all but the execute bit atomically,
and it's unusual to be creating files with executable bit set.
cheers,
Padraig
