GNU bug report logs - #25388
ls-quotes: kills existing scripts reading "ls" -1 as input

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From: Eric Blake <eblake <at> redhat.com>
To: L A Walsh <coreutils <at> tlinx.org>, Paul Eggert <eggert <at> cs.ucla.edu>
Cc: Andreas Schwab <schwab <at> linux-m68k.org>, 25388 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: bug#25388: Bug in ls, kills existing scripts reading "ls" -1 as input
Date: Mon, 9 Jan 2017 13:47:16 -0600

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On 01/09/2017 01:38 PM, L A Walsh wrote:
> 
> 
> Paul Eggert wrote:
>> On 01/09/2017 10:48 AM, L A Walsh wrote:
>>>     That's not what I'm used to: 
>>
>> I couldn't parse your email. 
> ---
> 1) I ran the ls command on a directory, shows 4 columns   (that were in
> color).

That right there is a clue that your 'ls' is a non-standard alias that
is adding additional command lines.  'ls' by default does not output in
color.

> 2) Next I ran the same ls command through more (really 'less' -- something
>   set @ distro level, but found convenient, so kept it).  Output is
>   identical.

Again, output is identical BECAUSE of your alias.  But if you run:

\ls | more

you will get DIFFERENT output.

> It's not good practice, IMO, to be altering output based on
> what (or who) is reading it (at least not by default).

Good or not, it IS what happens, and we can't change it due to years of
usage.

-- 
Eric Blake   eblake redhat com    +1-919-301-3266
Libvirt virtualization library http://libvirt.org

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