Re: RFE: hash-type in sum utils

[Eric Blake]

On 08/22/2012 10:05 AM, Pádraig Brady wrote:
> On 08/22/2012 03:00 PM, Ondrej Oprala wrote:
>> Hi, I haven't heard from this thread since I posted the last patch,
>> are there still things to correct or should I consider it closed?
> 
> The --tag description in the texinfo is a bit sparse.  It says:
> 
> "If the file is not binary, put a leading whitespace before the algorithm's 
> name."
> 
> More accurately it could say:
> 
> "When operating in @option{--text} mode, put a leading space before the 
> algorithm's name.
> On @option{--text} mode significant systems, this enables compatibility with 
> existing
> BSD (binary) checksums, while also allowing operating in @option{--text} 
> mode".
> 
> It's worth considering though, do we want to support --text mode
> at all with --tag?  I.E. we could avoid the default leading space,
> and have --tag imply --binary and be mutually exclusive with --text?

I'm fine with --tag implying --binary.  --text mode is almost always the
wrong thing to use, and it should have never been the default on
text-mode systems, nor should it be the default output (we're stuck with
that for normal output, where the presence of '*' to indicate binary
output, but only from systems where text mode differs, causes no end of
grief; but for BSD output we don't have to repeat the mistake).

> 
> I'm 60:40 for having --tag imply --binary given the above.

I'm 90:10 for having --tag imply --binary.

-- 
Eric Blake   address@hidden    +1-919-301-3266
Libvirt virtualization library http://libvirt.org

signature.asc
Description: OpenPGP digital signature