can we get rid of -I entirely, please?

[Bdale Garbee]

Hello.  I maintain the tar package for Debian GNU/Linux.

The recent change of tar options to replace -I with -j as an alias for --bzip2
and making -I an alias for -T is a real problem for Debian GNU/Linux, because
Debian 2.2 (potato) shipped with tar supporting the -I option as an alias for 
--bzip2, and this option is now widely known and used (particularly since Linux
kernel bits are often retrieved as .tar.bz2 files these days!). 

Changing -I to -j isn't the big problem.  It is frustrating to us, but we can
live with it.  Having -I aliased to something else in such a way that the 
combination of -c and -I yields an archive that is at least unexpectedly 
uncompressed is the problem.  This is a "silent failure" that is taking users 
very much by surprise.

After lots of discussion on the Debian developer mailing lists, the solution 
that I think makes the most sense is:

        the -I option be removed from the documentation and usage messages

        use of -I becomes an error that communicates that -j is the right 
        option for bzip2, and -T is the equivalent of -I in Solaris tar

I think this meets everyone's needs.  Debian users will not have the principle
of least astonishment violated when using -I, and anyone using GNU tar in the
Solaris world will find out what option to use to get the functionality they
expect from -I.  Nobody is surprised by using -I and getting an unexpected
result.

I hope this or some similar change can be implemented reasonably soon, as this
is considered a release-critical problem for the next Debian stable release.  
I'll be happy to provide a patch implementing the above if that would help.

Regards,

Bdale