From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: Received: (qmail 21755 invoked by alias); 7 May 2012 16:10:15 -0000 Mailing-List: contact zsh-users-help@zsh.org; run by ezmlm Precedence: bulk X-No-Archive: yes List-Id: Zsh Users List List-Post: List-Help: X-Seq: 17062 Received: (qmail 19544 invoked from network); 7 May 2012 16:10:13 -0000 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.3.2 (2011-06-06) on f.primenet.com.au X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-1.8 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00,DKIM_SIGNED, T_DKIM_INVALID autolearn=no version=3.3.2 Received-SPF: none (ns1.primenet.com.au: domain at bunkus.org does not designate permitted sender hosts) DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/simple; d=bunkus.org; s=mail201203; t=1336407011; bh=TkiWPmbpy3cPVp4qH+zWzJzIhGbGfXM+fFbJtdhLDzw=; h=MIME-Version:In-Reply-To:References:Date:Message-ID:Subject:From: To:Content-Type; b=N0n8iqvJfnpQBvXOAOZmVN7yefA+QIymncmLYcwQtJo/NIZOYiX1cqgy+aZE2QDFM WE2Cy63dOstjRUI2YBPL8ty0ghnPM07Xrp7mudOUKKl1Q6q43AtNtoEaA0ZGjGhDAe lLnO8I0GxVEn0nK5JLy++O43GxoFuLlWS3pcVaXY= MIME-Version: 1.0 In-Reply-To: <120507082522.ZM10556@torch.brasslantern.com> References: <20120507084141.GA8366@lohen.blott-online.com> <120507071434.ZM10459@torch.brasslantern.com> <120507082522.ZM10556@torch.brasslantern.com> Date: Mon, 7 May 2012 18:10:10 +0200 Message-ID: Subject: Re: zargs: unexpected, non-xargs behaviour From: Moritz Bunkus To: zsh-users@zsh.org Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 *sigh* The reply should have gone to the list. Sorry, my bad. Hey, On Mon, May 7, 2012 at 5:25 PM, Bart Schaefer wrote: > } Well, then zargs is not POSIX compliant > } ...and also not equivalent to GNU xargs. > > Well, if you'll pardon the expression, duh. The whole premise of zargs > is off the xargs rails because it doesn't read files or count lines. I'm referring zsh's documentation: [citation] This function works like GNU xargs, except that instead of reading lines of arguments from the standard input, it takes them from the command line. [/citation] For me as a user of zsh unfamiliar with its internals this has the heavy implication that it works just like GNU xargs with a single important difference. In reality it has a lot of similarities but important differences in how arguments are counted and what happens if limits are exceeded. The documentation even closes with [citation] For details of the other zargs options, see man page xargs(1) or run zargs with the --help option. [/citation] indicating once more that the options are supposed to work identically. Which they simply don't. And that's what I find very confusing. A strong hint at the very beginning of the documentation that the number of arguments are counted differently in GNU xargs and zargs would probably help a lot. At least you could refer to the fact being documented properly instead of having to argue with users like me ;) Kind regards, mo