GNU bug report logs - #12366
[gnu-prog-discuss] Writing unwritable files

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Package: coreutils;

Reported by: Paolo Bonzini <bonzini <at> gnu.org>

Date: Thu, 6 Sep 2012 12:14:01 UTC

Severity: normal

Done: Jim Meyering <meyering <at> hx.meyering.net>

Bug is archived. No further changes may be made.

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Message #38 received at 12366 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Paul Eggert <eggert <at> cs.ucla.edu>
To: gnu-prog-discuss <at> gnu.org, John Darrington <john <at> darrington.wattle.id.au>,
	12366 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#12366: [gnu-prog-discuss] Writing unwritable files
Date: Thu, 06 Sep 2012 10:23:32 -0700

On 09/06/2012 10:12 AM, Bob Proulx wrote:
> The file replacement is atomic.  The reading of the file is not.

Sure, but the point is that from the end user's
point of view, 'sed -i' is not atomic, and can't
be expected to be atomic.

'sed -i' and 'sort -o' both use some atomic operations
internally, but neither is atomic overall.  Users who
want atomicity must look elsewhere, or implement it
themselves.
This bug report was last modified 12 years and 283 days ago.

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