This is to report an issue that I have run into while using tar.
Issue - tar destroys file when arguments are passed in wrong order leading to loss of data.
Correct tar order - tar -cvzf "archive_file_name" "file_to_be_archived"
Order actually passed - tar - cvzf "file_to_be_archived" "archive_file_name"
tar ignores the fact that the "file_to_be_archived" exists and simply overwrites it, and then crashes out complaining that "archive_file_name" doesn't exist.
While I agree that the command was passed by the user in the wrong order, I feel it's something that is quite possible and tar should follow a defensive approach of complaining that a file exists rather than overwriting it.
I've been using tar for years and I ended up passing the wrong arguments today, which led to me losing data :-(
Thanks,
Pulkit and Meghna