Re: [Bug-tar] extraneous %s in error message

[Tim Kientzle]

Denis Excoffier wrote:
> jupiter% tar tvf /dev/null --owner=no-such-owner /etc/passwd
> tar: no-such-owner: Invalid owner
> tar: Error is not recoverable: exiting now
...
> By the way, it seems to me that it should be possible to have
> these commands (above) succeed. After all, the tar file is not
> dedicated to local consumption: the local existence or
> nonexistence of any group or owner is not sufficient to forbid
> the creation of such a tar file.

Tar format needs to store both the numeric UID/GID
and the user/group name.  If the name cannot be
looked up in the local system database, it has
no way to generate a suitable ID.

Cheers,

Tim