From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.4 (2020-01-24) on inbox.vuxu.org X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-0.6 required=5.0 tests=DKIM_INVALID,DKIM_SIGNED, HEADER_FROM_DIFFERENT_DOMAINS,HTML_MESSAGE,MAILING_LIST_MULTI autolearn=ham autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 Received: from minnie.tuhs.org (minnie.tuhs.org [50.116.15.146]) by inbox.vuxu.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id B482A27686 for ; Sat, 18 May 2024 20:08:14 +0200 (CEST) Received: from minnie.tuhs.org (localhost [IPv6:::1]) by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 85343432EF; Sun, 19 May 2024 04:08:07 +1000 (AEST) Received: from mail-oi1-x233.google.com (mail-oi1-x233.google.com [IPv6:2607:f8b0:4864:20::233]) by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix) with ESMTPS id 3D571432C5 for ; Sun, 19 May 2024 04:07:54 +1000 (AEST) Received: by mail-oi1-x233.google.com with SMTP id 5614622812f47-3c99e6b8b1fso1405460b6e.1 for ; Sat, 18 May 2024 11:07:54 -0700 (PDT) DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=dartmouth.edu; s=google1; t=1716055673; x=1716660473; darn=tuhs.org; h=to:subject:message-id:date:from:mime-version:from:to:cc:subject :date:message-id:reply-to; bh=p9pZ7aEOoVxseKZ8Gr4fszamdwkLk9LdmzAUpYx3/aQ=; b=jIV+WtuchhSSNjKZcVNtfc3vXC5PUXq8UhNGNNCv2IrgD56i/V5/s1K3HszI0DCfFQ H9lDNaKg0y8n/wJRLkLmTRA4qGD8/VItrHDF/Gdm1/4QiYFWOZZDsyclOQnwIhIQPfDi X45gPh9udDyU3zcHU+yNLN8pZAVC9NK86eBOHZ1CIZsgm+u2XpJAmemccgwizFLTjKyW kS1qOVIObqrgsQvR5ZAT3zjqcK26BPQSXTWUPnvfCmU62pZC4wNMUv6xLFs+GFlGaB6P axK1uM0uQfPsemGm8kNvhk+lAy3NOZPcme5fWlfaaJWdpHIAuPFmRLnK9kNaSK+CxB94 VTdA== X-Google-DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=1e100.net; s=20230601; t=1716055673; x=1716660473; h=to:subject:message-id:date:from:mime-version:x-gm-message-state :from:to:cc:subject:date:message-id:reply-to; bh=p9pZ7aEOoVxseKZ8Gr4fszamdwkLk9LdmzAUpYx3/aQ=; b=sbLnvLWm4BvSaVOU6fzQJMJPukcuOIP6mFJrkf+1of44QtxuQE67+wC6yxWfRRlOy+ WeZdnQQmJuj9HUG6gR+PX5m4Kobb4Fn2PgrKO7yvQJPUFoZaAPaCPPtK2f0mj6hHpjyP Qv2tuzvrWKY+d55KFMpel0Hg/LsVjajWJRDABW/45XlzzvSCOIpwPt6WkiA4y3ujKsm3 tCUqWllpGSqWVuLY6zZodvHctn101j+dAAcs7OIk0rbXoAsvbBLSCyC+s7Qi+wxkySWM gMbMzKP7FKxme/sAXkJnG42V+AJZK6yt3+ng+g22XYxslEc2bZhhkK5Q+8Dwiz+yNu2c lXLg== X-Gm-Message-State: AOJu0YyVMvJ9z3ZPfuQFo8h6PLNR76fMB+Sb4TuhPj+QnQZPbOruJMOY 5OszPZBPROynQTaVvX1r98MKBy7DrnFF13sN8dZhcvjnkWliw2/PL7ojxZJJ5sBxIj4bDA19xPV auvUbxvCApjp3HCzWAdHVV1tHzDblgAhHf0jJW1GQXyv1ytpAlu0= X-Google-Smtp-Source: AGHT+IHPn7/IyxQ96PaGPysHAwDDsvx9ygxIxyFft3CbJ1C0JvZyitBOSLIfbczMBr/h1UsV3obqDS0QeGqaUeco4fU= X-Received: by 2002:a05:6808:f03:b0:3c9:6bd8:289b with SMTP id 5614622812f47-3c99705108cmr40917705b6e.13.1716055673006; Sat, 18 May 2024 11:07:53 -0700 (PDT) MIME-Version: 1.0 From: Douglas McIlroy Date: Sat, 18 May 2024 14:07:38 -0400 Message-ID: To: TUHS main list Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="000000000000ce03f50618be5800" Message-ID-Hash: WO2XH7XD23EWTNR3DV2Q45E42HBPNFXG X-Message-ID-Hash: WO2XH7XD23EWTNR3DV2Q45E42HBPNFXG X-MailFrom: douglas.mcilroy@dartmouth.edu X-Mailman-Rule-Misses: dmarc-mitigation; no-senders; approved; emergency; loop; banned-address; member-moderation; nonmember-moderation; administrivia; implicit-dest; max-recipients; max-size; news-moderation; no-subject; digests; suspicious-header X-Mailman-Version: 3.3.6b1 Precedence: list Subject: [TUHS] Re: On Bloat and the Idea of Small Specialized Tools List-Id: The Unix Heritage Society mailing list Archived-At: List-Archive: List-Help: List-Owner: List-Post: List-Subscribe: List-Unsubscribe: --000000000000ce03f50618be5800 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" I just revisited this ironic echo of Mies van der Rohe's aphorism, "Less is more". % less --help | wc 298 Last time I looked, the line count was about 220. Bloat is self-catalyzing. What prompted me to look was another disheartening discovery. The "small special tool" Gnu diff has a 95-page manual! And it doesn't cover the option I was looking up (-h). To be fair, the manual includes related programs like diff3(1), sdiff(1) and patch(1), but the original manual for each fit on one page. Doug --000000000000ce03f50618be5800 Content-Type: text/html; charset="UTF-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
I just revisited this ir= onic echo of Mies van der Rohe's aphorism, "Less is more".=C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0% less --help | wc
=C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2= =A0 298
Last time I looked, the line count was about 220. Bloat i= s self-catalyzing.=C2=A0

What prompted me to look = was another disheartening discovery. The "small special tool" Gnu= diff has a 95-page manual!=C2=A0 And it doesn't cover the option I was= looking up (-h). To be fair, the manual includes related programs like dif= f3(1), sdiff(1) and patch(1), but the original manual for each fit on one p= age.

Doug
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