From owner-freebsd-hackers  Wed Apr 18 18:56:21 2001
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Date: Wed, 18 Apr 2001 21:56:10 -0400
From: Michael Lucas <mwlucas@blackhelicopters.org>
To: hackers@freebsd.org
Subject: thoughts on /etc/newsyslog.conf
Message-ID: <20010418215610.A46691@blackhelicopters.org>
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<not sure where to send this; it doesn't seem like fodder for any
other mailing list...>

Hello,

In writing an article on syslogd and newsyslog, I've noticed something
intensely annoying about newsyslog.conf.

FreeBSD supports three different formats for dates in newsyslog.conf:
raw hours since last rotation, ISO 8601, and FreeBSD-specific
week-day-month.

Wouldn't it make sense to standardize on one or the other of ISO8601
or W-D-M for the default newsyslog.conf?  All of the existing entries
could easily be expressed in W-D-M.  Or is there some particular
reason why we must use both formats in the default file?  I'll be
happy to document it if that's the case.  I'd rather not try to
justify using different formats to a new user without such a reason,
however.

As someone writing documentation, I'd prefer W-D-M since it's easier
to explain.  :)

I will even volunteer patches to make it consistent in whatever form
is chosen -- although I suspect one of you real hackers could do it
with your eyes closed, I feel obliged to offer.

Thanks,
==ml

-- 
Michael Lucas
mwlucas@blackhelicopters.org
http://www.blackhelicopters.org/~mwlucas/
Big Scary Daemons: http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/q/Big_Scary_Daemons

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