On Fri, 28 Dec 2001, Keith Morse wrote:
> On Fri, 28 Dec 2001, Jim Cunning wrote:
>
> > > My current one off favourite.
> > >
> > > cd /mnt/cdrom; tar -cvf - . | (cd /mnt/scratch/pub/2/engima;tar -xf - )
> >
> > Does this syntax for tar actually work? What version of tar are you
> > using? When I try it I get:
> > jcunning@bigbear:~ > tar -zft fc-v2.0.tgz
> > tar: You must specify one of the `-Acdtrux' options
> > Try `tar --help' for more information.
> >
> > but
> > tar zft fc-v2.0.tgz
> > works fine.
> >
> > BTW, it appears that the usage warning is out of date, because it implies
> > that the "-" is required. The command "tar --version" gives me
> >
>
> AFAIK "-" to denote a switch is irrelevant to tar. I do it, cuz my
> fingers keep putting it in. The command above does actually work, as this
> is the exact syntax I used to copy off my cd's to disk. Pasted from
> .bash_history.
>
>
> Specifically with your command " tar -zft fc-v2.0.tgz " is nonsensical as
> there is no "verb" being used, only modifiers. Notice mine uses " -c
> " witch is create. Oops sorry, arguements to tar are postionally
> dependent (just took a look at yours again ). You're corrected one would
> be:
>
> tar -ztf fc-v2.0.tgz
OK. Being a tar user since about 1992, meaning "I know how to use tar, so
I don't need no stinkin' man pages....," I decided to look deeper and
found the following from the tar info pages:
This old way of writing `tar' options can surprise even experienced
users. For example, the two commands:
tar cfz archive.tar.gz file
tar -cfz archive.tar.gz file
are quite different. The first example uses `archive.tar.gz' as the
value for option `f' and recognizes the option `z'. The second
example, however, uses `z' as the value for option `f'--probably not
what was intended.
The bottom line: tar has three ways of accepting options, 1) mnemonic
options (using --<long-option-name>), 2) short options (using -<letter>),
and 3) "old" options (using single letters in a cluster). Even old dogs
can learn new tricks if they RTFM.
Jim
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