Date: Tue, 1 Aug 2006 14:26:28 -0400 From: Mike Meyer <mwm-keyword-freebsdhackers2.e313df@mired.org> To: rick-freebsd@kiwi-computer.com Cc: freebsd-hackers@freebsd.org Subject: Re: [PATCH] adding two new options to 'cp' Message-ID: <17615.40148.872008.53973@bhuda.mired.org> In-Reply-To: <20060801171150.GB3413@megan.kiwi-computer.com> References: <200607271150.k6RBoM9p031745@lurza.secnetix.de> <44C8FB65.9020102@FreeBSD.org> <44CE03D2.2050803@centtech.com> <17614.4005.407223.621637@bhuda.mired.org> <44CE199C.2020500@centtech.com> <17614.8289.134373.387558@bhuda.mired.org> <96b30c400607310847s1d2f845eo212b234d03f51e9a@mail.gmail.com> <17614.10982.499561.139268@bhuda.mired.org> <ealpn1$lan$1@sea.gmane.org> <20060801072611.GA717@turion.vk2pj.dyndns.org> <20060801171150.GB3413@megan.kiwi-computer.com>
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In <20060801171150.GB3413@megan.kiwi-computer.com>, Rick C. Petty <rick-freebsd@kiwi-computer.com> typed: > On Tue, Aug 01, 2006 at 05:26:11PM +1000, Peter Jeremy wrote: > > On Mon, 2006-Jul-31 22:42:49 +0200, Ivan Voras wrote: > > >I agree with this, and while you're in there, can you add -s to copy > > >sparse files (via the usual "if the buffer is all nulls, seek beyond eof > > >instead of writing" trick)? > > > > Note that it isn's possible to accurately distinguish between a block > > of NULs and a hole in the file through the filesystem. The only way > > to accurately copy a sparse file is with dump/restore. > > Sure it is-- in a number of ways. The most useful way is to do something > of the sort: [code elided] > Obviously, I didn't add the error checking/handling, but AFAIK this is > essentially what the -S option to gnu's tar does. Yes, but gnu tar doesn't do this accurately, so you're not doing what Peter said you couldn't do. You are doing what Ivan asked, though. I always think of cp as a tool for making *copies of files*, not for creating an archive of a directory tree. We've got lots of tools that do the latter. Do we really need another one? <mike -- Mike Meyer <mwm@mired.org> http://www.mired.org/consulting.html Independent Network/Unix/Perforce consultant, email for more information.
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