find -noleaf

[Gregg Tracton]

Hi,

I noticed in RHEL4 that the "default" syntax (with no command-line switches)
of the 'find' command has changed to *require* the -noleaf switch for 
proper operation
on AFS disks, CD-ROMs and some other file systems that do not adhere to the
*convention* of 2 hard links in each dirent.

Please make the default be "no optimization" and allow a switch "-leaf" 
that one may
invoke if speed is an issue.

My objections:
- many users do not know what file system is in use, and do not care.
 You are forcing them to care;  this is not the unix way.
 Even worse, you are requiring the user to know internal details of a 
file system!
- it appears that the optimization disabled by noleaf could have be 
triggered by
 the find command examining the file system type, or testing that the 
optimization
 produces the right results before triggering it.
- i have written dozens of scripts, and have seen dozens more 
distributed by redhat,
 that this change will force to alter. In particular, the file system 
will need to be tested
 by the script and then information about each possible type of 
filesystem embedded
 in the script to make the proper decision about whether to set -noleaf 
or not.
- a file system is not required to use dirents in the way you state -- 
it's just a convention
 -- and so you should not assume it.

-gregg tracton, chapel hill, nc