Re: making GNU ls -i (--inode) work around the linux readdir bug

[Jim Meyering]

Phillip Susi <address@hidden> wrote:

> Jim Meyering wrote:
>> Ultimately, neither POSIX nor any other official standard defines what
>> is "right" for coreutils.  POSIX usually serves as a fine reference, but
>> I don't follow it blindly.  In rare cases I've had a well-considered
>> disagreement with some aspect of a standard, and I have implemented
>> default behavior that technically makes an application non-conforming.
>> The standard evolves, too.
>
> Going against the standard behavior is not strictly anathema, true,
> but you had better have a good reason for it.  This 'fix' gains
> NOTHING since any application ( whether it exists now or conceivably
> could in the future ) that depends on your preferred behavior is
> already inherently broken.  With nothing to gain, and both conformance
> and performance to loose, this fix seems to be bad form.

The change I expect to implement does not going against POSIX.
On the contrary, the standard actually says the current readdir
behavior is buggy.  See my previous reference to a quote from
readdir's rationale.