Re: [Bug-tar] tar 1.15.1 doesn't compile on sunos 4.1.4

[Paul Eggert]

Joerg Schilling <address@hidden> writes:

> I do not understand your strategy then.

The strategy is to not fix things that aren't broken.  Changing the
default output format is a big deal.  The installer can make that
decision now, but we're understandably reluctant to make it for them.
Support for POSIX.1-1988 and POSIX.1-2001 formats is not sufficiently
tested, and there are enough real-world "tar" installations out there
right now which will have problems with them (e.g., in the area of
long file names), that it's not reasonable (yet) to change the
default.

Personally, I think we shouldn't bother making POSIX.1-1988 the
default format; we should go straight to POSIX.1-2001.  But this can't
be done right now, since the world isn't ready yet.  In the meantime
we can stick with the current default; there's no point inflicting two
major changes on our users, if we can just as easily get by with just
one major change (in GNU tar 2.0, say).

Also, to help with the transition, I suggest that the default format
for the GNU "pax" command (when it is available) be the POSIX.1-2001
format.  Since "pax" is new (to the GNU implementation, anyway), and
is rarely used in any event, it will be a good guinea pig.  We can
then think about changing the default for "tar" if our experience with
"pax" is positive.

>I was in hope that it should be possible to have an unbiased discussion

Sure, but inflammatory language like "If backwards compatibility is no
longer an issue for GNU tar...." does not contribute to an unbiased
discussion.  Obviously archive format compatbility is a major issue
for GNU tar.  Let's not be silly about this.