GNU bug report logs - #15232
cp: "-i a/s b/s c" ask for confirmation then still fails

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Message #14 received at 15232 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Bob Proulx <bob <at> proulx.com>
To: jidanni <at> jidanni.org
Cc: 15232 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#15232: cp -i a/s b/s c
Date: Wed, 18 Sep 2013 12:19:33 -0600

> >> cp: will not overwrite just-created ‘c/s’ with ‘b/s’

Personally I have never liked that behavior.  It is trying to be too
smart.  If I had my "druthers" I would rather see that behavior
removed.  If I ask for the file to be overwritten twice then I expect
the file to be overwritten twice.

Problems like those are one of the reasons I would use a for loop to
avoid the too smart cp code.

  for f in one two three; do cp $f targetdir/; done

But then I would never use cp -i either.

jidanni <at> jidanni.org wrote:
> All I know is that if it is smart enough to say
> >> cp: will not overwrite just-created ‘c/s’ with ‘b/s’
> which is indeed rather smart, then it should be smart enough to
> gather all its thoughts together before presenting them to the user.
> Hmmm, then it should be also smart enough to recognize the collision and
> stop before any of it happens...

Creeping featurism and bloat.  It should be removed and simplified
rather than embraced and expanded.

> By which time the algorithm to prevent user error becomes so big as to
> introduce different errors... so maybe
> PB> So I'm inclined to leave this as is?
> is the right thing. The only problem is five years later certain "j"
> users will rediscover it and write back again expecting a free t-shirt
> etc. :-)

Have you ever gotten a free t-shirt? :-)

Bob

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