bug#258: [22.2]: visiting boost_1_35_0.tar.bz2 causes an error

[Stefan Monnier]

>> > This report is going to be annoying, because
>> > http://downloads.sourceforge.net/boost/boost_1_35_0.tar.bz2?modtime=1206
>> > 795398&big_mirror=0 is a 22M file.  Sorry.  This also applies to 22.1.
>> 
>> > If I download the file, then visiting it under emacs -Q gives me:
>> 
>> > Debugger entered--Lisp error: (args-out-of-range -256589311 -256588799)
>> 
>> The problem appears to be that the file uses a format that tar-mode.el
>> doesn't understand: the errors shows up with the first filename that is
>> longer than 100 chars.
>> It appears to be some GNU tar format whoe description I cannot
>> find anywhere.  Basically, the block that is supposed to describe the
>> file is replaced by a block that contains the complete filename (padded
>> to 512 with \0 bytes) and is followed by the actual block:

> It's the ustar format used by pax.  We've bumped into this before, I
> think; search the archives.  (It's strange, though: I'm quite sure I
> installed a stopgap fix in the last minute before v22.1 hit the FTP
> sites, so maybe I'm confused and this is another problem?)

It doesn't look like the wiki's description of ustar.  Do you know where
I could find a description of the format in that tarball?


        Stefan