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On 24/11/2021 07:38, Shehu Dikko wrote:
Package: coreutils
Version: 9.0
Do please take a look at this example:
% printf '%s\n' just three lines | tee >f1 f2
% tail -n1 f1
lines
% tail -n1 f*
==> f1 <==
lines
==> f2 <==
lines
% tail -1 f1
lines
% tail -1 f*
tail: option used in invalid context -- 1
% tail --version | head -1
tail (GNU coreutils) 9.0
Note that with head and busybox tail, the outputs are unsurprising:
% head -1 f*
==> f1 <==
just
==> f2 <==
just
% head --version | head -1
head (GNU coreutils) 9.0
% busybox tail -1 f*
==> f1 <==
lines
==> f2 <==
lines
%
% uname -v
#1 SMP Debian 4.19.194-3 (2021-07-18)
The compat for that older syntax is not extended to multiple files.
From the info docs:
For compatibility ‘tail’ also supports an obsolete usage ‘tail
-[NUM][bcl][f] [FILE]’, which is recognized only if it does not conflict
with the usage described above. This obsolete form uses exactly one
option and at most one file.
cheers,
Pádraig
