GNU bug report logs - #52115
Suggestion: LN command should swap TARGET and LINK_NAME if LINK_NAME already exists

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Message #17 received at submit <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Kamil Dudka <kdudka <at> redhat.com>
To: Warren Parad <wparad <at> gmail.com>
Cc: 52115 <at> debbugs.gnu.org, Bernhard Voelker <mail <at> bernhard-voelker.de>,
 bug-coreutils <at> gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#52115: Suggestion: LN command should swap TARGET and
 LINK_NAME if LINK_NAME already exists
Date: Fri, 26 Nov 2021 08:25:28 +0100

On Friday, November 26, 2021 12:10:36 AM CET Warren Parad wrote:
> except mv(1) and cp(1) are both "FROM" and then "TO", but ln is backwards
> from thi, it is "TO" then "FROM", the least the command could do is put
> these in the correct order.
> 
> >  it is a one-time effort to learn the order
> 
> Opinion, do you want proof that people can't learn this, because they
> haven't.
> 
> > The synopsis is already complex and confusing enough:
> Opinion, it is as complex as it allows, sounds like you are saying "LN
> Sucks, we really need 4 commands which are all simpler", sure okay we can
> have another command, but doing the right thing ALWAYS takes precedence
> over "I have an opinion"
> 
> > what happens if another (malicious?) user B creates LINK_TARGET while
> 
> user A is typing the command?
> While typing before entering? Then it doesn't matter if they are reversed
> since the command would still fail because both exist, that should result
> in the only real failure. I'm not suggesting removing the error in all
> cases.
> 
> >   $ ln -nsvf somename othername
> 
> WTF, yeah let's tell everyone that gets this wrong to delete the file they
> want to link, that's a genius idea.

Seriously, such experiments do not belong to the system implementation of 
ln(1).  If you really need this behavior, you can implement it as a shell 
function.  Sooner or later you will regret that you did it.

Kamil

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