🚀 go-pugleaf

To: gwyn@brl, hoptoad!gnu@sally.utexas.edu
Cc: std-unix@sally.utexas.edu
From: rbj@icst-cmr.arpa (Jim Cottrell)

? From: gnu@hoptoad.UUCP (John Gilmore)
 
? I don't know anybody who's ever had trouble reading a tar tape...
? All versions of tar are compatible.

Depends on what you mean. I have had troubles reading the original
TPC V6 & V7 distribution tapes under 4.2 BSD. Perhaps the format has
changed since then. Anyone have a tar that will read these tapes?

? There is the additional advantage of a public domain implementation of
? the proposed tar standard (written by me, available from mod.sources),

Kudos, John. I hope you also fixed special files as well. Ever try and
make a tar tape of the root? It barfs when it gets to /dev.

? From: Doug Gwyn <gwyn@brl.arpa>
 
? In the real world one HAS to have a working "tar" if one exchanges files...

If I were paranoid I might think TPC was trying to limit this.
 
? I would prefer to remove tape archive format altogether from what is
? supposed to be a program/system interface specification (1003.1).  There
? simply isn't a single universal interchange medium anyway (not every
? system has 1/2" magtape, for example).

Tarchives are useful even they are never put on tape.

If it is still not clear, I favor tar as well. Perhaps the features
that motivated cpio's creation should be added to tar, as John has done.

I would also like to see an option not to cross mount points, that is
stay on the same partition. This should be added to several major utilities.

	(Root Boy) Jim "Just Say Yes" Cottrell	<rbj@icst-cmr.arpa>
	I hope I bought the right relish...  zzzzzzzzz...

Volume-Number: Volume 11, Number 19