GNU bug report logs - #49996
egrep and fgrep?

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From: help-debbugs <at> gnu.org (GNU bug Tracking System)
To: Simon Josefsson <simon <at> josefsson.org>
Subject: bug#49996: closed (Re: bug#49996: egrep and fgrep?)
Date: Mon, 16 Aug 2021 17:15:02 +0000

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Your bug report

#49996: egrep and fgrep?

which was filed against the grep package, has been closed.

The explanation is attached below, along with your original report.
If you require more details, please reply to 49996 <at> debbugs.gnu.org.

-- 
49996: http://debbugs.gnu.org/cgi/bugreport.cgi?bug=49996
GNU Bug Tracking System
Contact help-debbugs <at> gnu.org with problems

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From: Paul Eggert <eggert <at> cs.ucla.edu>
To: Jim Meyering <jim <at> meyering.net>
Cc: 49996-done <at> debbugs.gnu.org, Simon Josefsson <simon <at> josefsson.org>,
 Aharon Robbins <arnold <at> skeeve.com>
Subject: Re: bug#49996: egrep and fgrep?
Date: Mon, 16 Aug 2021 10:14:02 -0700

On 8/16/21 4:32 AM, Jim Meyering wrote:

>> * src/egrep.sh: Issue a obsolescence warning.
> 
> s/a/an/

Thanks, I fixed that and installed the result with a bug# in the commit 
message. Closing the bug report.

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From: Simon Josefsson <simon <at> josefsson.org>
To: bug-grep <at> gnu.org
Subject: egrep and fgrep?
Date: Wed, 11 Aug 2021 09:22:45 +0200

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Hi!  A long standing pet issue of mine are the "deprecated" (since
2005?) tools fgrep and egrep.  If there is any meaning to the term
"deprecated", maybe they should be dropped at some point, or the
deprecation-status escalated (stderr warning? syslog output?).  What do
you think?

Maybe now is an acceptable time to drop them, I recall seeing some more
recent distributions that do not provide them, and things appears to
work for them except for the rare bug here and there.

Alternatively, how about un-deprecating them, for compatibility with BSD
and deployed popular usage.  I must admint I use egrep quite often.  I
think un-deprecating tools/APIs is an acceptable thing to do in some
cases.

Maybe a middle-ground could exist, that they won't be installed (or
work?) in some "POSIX"-mode -- I think the main reason for deprecating
them was that POSIX dropped a requirement for them?  That doesn't
necessarily mean things must be deprecated.

/Simon

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