Subject: bug#33813: GNU diffutils 3.6 – 'diff -y' – Several mark types used as separators instead of one – Inappropriate options combinations

From: Ricky Tigg <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 20 Dec 2018 16:10:39 +0100

Hi [email-masked] <[email-masked]>* subscribers.

   - Case 1

Commands executed:
$ echo - > a1 && echo + > a2
$ diff -y a1 a2
-                                  |    +

Both terminal,  from which patterns are *copied*, and text editor document,
to which pattern is *pasted *– *see attachment* –, use mono-space font.
Output resulting from 'diff -y a1 a2' contains *tabular* and *point *marks
in the same row as separators between left'-sided column and right'-sided
column. Would it be suitable according to developers to produce separators
relying on a unique mark – *tabular* or *point* – ?

   - Case 2

As noticeable, the tool *Diff *allows for *options combinations* that
cannot cohabit together because of their very features. A way for *Diff* to
avoid handling such combinations would be appropriate. Here is an
illustration of such combinations:

$ diff -qsy a1 a2
Files a1 and a2 differ
$ diff -yqs a1 a2
Files a1 and a2 differ
$ diff -qys a1 a2
Files a1 and a2 differ

Regards, R.T.