GNU bug report logs - #23950
An enhancement request

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

From: "Dr. Randall Fisher" <randall.fisher <at> ieee.org>
To: bug-diffutils <at> gnu.org
Subject: An enhancement request
Date: Mon, 11 Jul 2016 18:41:00 -0400

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Hi,

I use "diff -r" when comparing a directory tree to a copy that I have made
when the storage media is questionable.  There are often broken symlinks in
the original (usually a backup from some defunct machine).  When I do the
diff, I get thousands of messages along the lines of :

diff: gecko-clone-100714/var/X11R6/lib/xkb/xkbcomp: No such file or
directory
diff: /home2/Backups/gecko-clone-100714/var/X11R6/lib/xkb/xkbcomp: No such
file or directory

There are also messages along the lines of:

X/afifo is a fifo while Y/afifo is a fifo
... or a socket or a character special, etc.

​These aren't really useful in this context and bury any really important
errors.​

Could you add switches to :
    1. Not dereference symlinks, but compare the symlink itself (i.e. no
message if they point to the same non-existant place)?
    2. Not report the "this is an orange while that is an orange" messages?

​Thank you,

Randy Fisher​

-- 
Randall Fisher, Ph.D.
randall.fisher <at> ieee.org
randall.fisher <at> acm.org

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