Re: [PATCH] change default --format from gnu to posix

[Paul Eggert]

On 12/19/21 10:29, Mike Frysinger wrote:
> i don't care about extensions, i care that the "gnu" format has known
> limitations in how it stores paths that "pax" fixes.  so if you have an
> alternative that doesn't have these issues, and has a chance of being
> widely adopted like "pax",

What limitations are you referring to? So far, you've mentioned file 
name length, but gnu format doesn't have a problem with long file names, 
and gnu-format long filenames are better supported than pax-format long 
filenames.[1]

If we consider only file name length issues, we shouldn't change the 
default format from gnu to pax. Quite the reverse: if the default were 
pax, then [1] would be a good argument for changing the default to gnu.

[1] 
https://mgorny.pl/articles/portability-of-tar-features.html#long-pathnames