bug#13447: ln "" foo gives misleading error message

2013-01-15 Thread Ken Irving
(Previously sent in error to the bug-gnu-utils list.) I've been using symbolic links in a non-file-related way, e.g., to store arbitrary string values, but find that if I try to create a symlink with an empty 'target' name, e.g., as 'ln -s "" foo', the error message emitted is not really correct.

bug#13447: ln "" foo gives misleading error message

2013-01-15 Thread Pádraig Brady
On 01/15/2013 08:23 AM, Ken Irving wrote: (Previously sent in error to the bug-gnu-utils list.) I've been using symbolic links in a non-file-related way, e.g., to store arbitrary string values, but find that if I try to create a symlink with an empty 'target' name, e.g., as 'ln -s "" foo', the e

bug#13447: ln "" foo gives misleading error message

2013-01-15 Thread Bob Proulx
tag 13447 + notabug close 13447 thanks Ken Irving wrote: > (Previously sent in error to the bug-gnu-utils list.) Sending it to bug-gnu-utils was of course perfectly fine since "ln" is one of the GNU utils and that is a good mailing list for all of the utils as a general catchall. I even answered

bug#13447: ln "" foo gives misleading error message

2013-01-15 Thread Jim Meyering
Pádraig Brady wrote: > On 01/15/2013 08:23 AM, Ken Irving wrote: >> (Previously sent in error to the bug-gnu-utils list.) >> >> I've been using symbolic links in a non-file-related way, e.g., to store >> arbitrary string values, but find that if I try to create a symlink with >> an empty 'target'

bug#13447: ln "" foo gives misleading error message

2013-01-15 Thread Bob Proulx
Jim Meyering wrote: > Pádraig Brady wrote: > > Interestingly I notice that solaris for example allows a NULL old_path. > > That Solaris behavior is contrary to POSIX 2008 > http://pubs.opengroup.org/onlinepubs/9699919799/functions/symlink.html Where does it say this? I read it through in detail

bug#13447: ln "" foo gives misleading error message

2013-01-15 Thread Bernhard Voelker
On 01/15/2013 09:23 AM, Ken Irving wrote: > (Previously sent in error to the bug-gnu-utils list.) > > I've been using symbolic links in a non-file-related way, e.g., to store > arbitrary string values, but find that if I try to create a symlink with > an empty 'target' name, e.g., as 'ln -s "" foo

bug#13447: ln "" foo gives misleading error message

2013-01-15 Thread Pádraig Brady
On 01/15/2013 09:31 AM, Jim Meyering wrote: Pádraig Brady wrote: On 01/15/2013 08:23 AM, Ken Irving wrote: (Previously sent in error to the bug-gnu-utils list.) I've been using symbolic links in a non-file-related way, e.g., to store arbitrary string values, but find that if I try to create a

bug#13447: ln "" foo gives misleading error message

2013-01-15 Thread Bernhard Voelker
On 01/15/2013 10:44 AM, Bob Proulx wrote: > Jim Meyering wrote: >> Pádraig Brady wrote: >>> Interestingly I notice that solaris for example allows a NULL old_path. >> >> That Solaris behavior is contrary to POSIX 2008 >> http://pubs.opengroup.org/onlinepubs/9699919799/functions/symlink.html > > Wh

bug#13447: ln "" foo gives misleading error message

2013-01-15 Thread Jim Meyering
Bob Proulx wrote: > Jim Meyering wrote: >> Pádraig Brady wrote: >> > Interestingly I notice that solaris for example allows a NULL old_path. >> >> That Solaris behavior is contrary to POSIX 2008 >> http://pubs.opengroup.org/onlinepubs/9699919799/functions/symlink.html > > Where does it say this? I

bug#13447: ln "" foo gives misleading error message

2013-01-15 Thread Eric Blake
[adding the Austin Group] On 01/15/2013 02:58 AM, Jim Meyering wrote: >>> That Solaris behavior is contrary to POSIX 2008 >>> http://pubs.opengroup.org/onlinepubs/9699919799/functions/symlink.html >> >> Where does it say this? I read it through in detail but I didn't see >> that it required a di

bug#13447: ln "" foo gives misleading error message

2013-01-15 Thread Jim Meyering
Pádraig Brady wrote: ... >> I could go either way. >> There is precedent, but it's such a corner case, >> it may not be worth the added code. > > given the confusion above, it might be worth the > clarification error message. Yes, I've demonstrated that rather well ;-)

bug#13447: ln "" foo gives misleading error message

2013-01-15 Thread Geoff Clare
Eric Blake wrote, on 15 Jan 2013: > > [adding the Austin Group] > > On 01/15/2013 02:58 AM, Jim Meyering wrote: > > >>> That Solaris behavior is contrary to POSIX 2008 > >>> http://pubs.opengroup.org/onlinepubs/9699919799/functions/symlink.html > >> > >> Where does it say this? I read it throug

bug#13453: comm

2013-01-15 Thread Dennis Miller
Hello there, Not really a bug per se, but a nice feature would be if a check was done to just sort the given files before hand. If you don't sort it, you will get undesired output, and this would be a good safety check. Thanks. Privileged/Confidential Informat

bug#13453: comm

2013-01-15 Thread Eric Blake
tag 13453 notabug thanks On 01/15/2013 03:37 PM, Dennis Miller wrote: > Hello there, > > Not really a bug per se, Still, by sending a message to bug-coreutils, you've opened a bug track id. That is okay for feature requests (a new feature request is arguably a bug of a missing functionality); b