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From: Bill/Carolyn Pechter <pechter@shell.monmouth.com>
Message-Id: <199606262358.TAA21815@shell.monmouth.com>
Subject: The crontab controversy
To: andrsn@andrsn.stanford.edu (Annelise Anderson),
        freebsd-questions@freebsd.org
Date: Wed, 26 Jun 1996 19:58:58 -0400 (EDT)
Cc: freebsd-hackers@shell.monmouth.com
In-Reply-To: <Pine.BSF.3.91.960626150317.593A-100000@andrsn.stanford.edu> from "Annelise Anderson" at Jun 26, 96 03:07:32 pm
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> > /etc/crontab is not meant to be installed via crontab(1) - it is special
> > in two ways: it is automatically read by cron and it has a different
> > format than individual user crontab files.  

> I'm desperate enough to try anything right now.  Thanks.
> 
> Annelise
> 
> 
> > 
> > It's confusing behavior...
> > 
> > Guy Helmer, Dakota State University Computing Services - ghelmer@alpha.dsu.edu
> 

My fellow FreeBSD folks:

<begin soapbox mode>

It's time we took a stand.

Isn't it time we abandon the two methods of handling crontabs.?

I'm a fan of OS/x and Pyramid dual universe stuff (which I will add to 
Freebsd -- think universe bsd and universe gnu/linux) and EVEN I think ONE
crontab method is enough for anyone.


Should we:

1.  Declare the ATT method the winner.
2.  Declare the BSD method (the REAL original crontab) the winner.
3.  Make the installation program remove one or the other at install
     (put /var/cront/tabs/root in with the same actions as /etc/crontab
     and have the install remove one or the other)
4.  Ignore the problem and trap the users/admins?

I'd support 1 or 3 and  live with 2 (and hate 4)
<soapbox mode off>

Bill

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Bill Pechter/Carolyn Pechter  | 17 Meredith Drive, Tinton Falls, NJ 07724, 
 908-389-3592                  | pechter@shell.monmouth.com                
 I'll run Win95 on my box when you pry the keyboard from my cold, dead
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