GNU bug report logs - #16718
bug in vi on linux

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Message #5 received at submit <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Cheng Ong <Cheng.Ong <at> brisbane.qld.gov.au>
To: "bug-coreutils <at> gnu.org" <bug-coreutils <at> gnu.org>
Subject: bug in vi on linux
Date: Tue, 11 Feb 2014 02:02:00 +0000

[Message part 1 (text/plain, inline)]

Hi there,

Just encountered a bug in VI.
Editing file 'x' using vi, when done, content of file 'x' was saved as well in file 'y'.
File 'y' has no relation to file 'x' and is sitting in a different directory.
Only relation was file 'x' was created through a cp command from file 'y'.
Now changes made either on file 'y' or 'x' appear in both files.

Regards

Cheng Ong
Technical Consultant - Customised Applications, Service Delivery | Information Services Branch
Organisational Services Division | BRISBANE CITY COUNCIL
...........................................................................................................
Level G Green Square,  505 St Paul's Terrace, Fortitude Valley, Qld 4006
Phone: +61-7-3027 5286
Email: Cheng.Ong <at> brisbane.qld.gov.au<mailto:Cheng.Ong <at> brisbane.qld.gov.au>

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Message #8 received at 16718 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Allan McRae <allan <at> archlinux.org>
To: Cheng Ong <Cheng.Ong <at> brisbane.qld.gov.au>, 16718 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#16718: bug in vi on linux
Date: Tue, 11 Feb 2014 14:38:22 +1000

On 11/02/14 12:02, Cheng Ong wrote:
> Just encountered a bug in VI.
> Editing file 'x' using vi, when done, content of file 'x' was saved as well in file 'y'.
> File 'y' has no relation to file 'x' and is sitting in a different directory.
> Only relation was file 'x' was created through a cp command from file 'y'.
> Now changes made either on file 'y' or 'x' appear in both files.

Are you sure that they are not symbolic or hard links?  I.e. made using
'cp -s' or 'cp -l'?

Allan

Message #11 received at 16718 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Pádraig Brady <P <at> draigBrady.com>
To: Cheng Ong <Cheng.Ong <at> brisbane.qld.gov.au>
Cc: 16718 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#16718: bug in vi on linux
Date: Tue, 11 Feb 2014 09:28:11 +0000

tag 16718 notabug
close 16718
stop

On 02/11/2014 02:02 AM, Cheng Ong wrote:
> Hi there,
> 
> Just encountered a bug in VI.
> Editing file 'x' using vi, when done, content of file 'x' was saved as well in file 'y'.
> File 'y' has no relation to file 'x' and is sitting in a different directory.
> Only relation was file 'x' was created through a cp command from file 'y'.
> Now changes made either on file 'y' or 'x' appear in both files.

I'm guessing you linked the file names.
http://vim.wikia.com/wiki/Editing_a_hard_link_to_a_file

If you can repeat this without specifying any options to cp,
then it might be a bug in cp, but it's quite unlikely,
so I'm closing this for now.

These commands should verify:

env cp x y
[ $(stat -c %i x y | uniq | wc -l) = 1 ] && echo possible cp bug
cp --version

thanks,
Pádraig.

Message #14 received at 16718 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Bob Proulx <bob <at> proulx.com>
To: Cheng Ong <Cheng.Ong <at> brisbane.qld.gov.au>, 16718 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#16718: bug in vi on linux
Date: Tue, 11 Feb 2014 11:59:55 -0700

Pádraig Brady wrote:
> Cheng Ong wrote:
> > File 'y' has no relation to file 'x' and is sitting in a different directory.

When reporting please show us the details.  Because we have heard this
before!  :-)  Everyone expects to see that the files are linked until
proven otherwise.

For this please run this command and show the information for those
files.

  ls -ldi path1/x path2/y

The first field is the inode number produced due to the inclusion of
the -i option.  If the number is the same number on both files then
the file is hard linked.  (Assuming both files are on the same file
system.)  Otherwise if one is a symlink then that will also be shown.

Bob

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