[bug #29551] [ENH] grep listens in vain forever on STDIN even if -r flag (and no file) is supplied

[Torge Husfeldt]

URL:
  <http://savannah.gnu.org/bugs/?29551>

                 Summary: [ENH] grep listens in vain forever on STDIN even if
-r flag (and no file) is supplied
                 Project: grep
            Submitted by: torgehusfeldt
            Submitted on: Wed 14 Apr 2010 11:24:43 AM GMT
                Category: None
                Severity: 3 - Normal
              Item Group: None
                  Status: None
                 Privacy: Public
             Assigned to: None
             Open/Closed: Open
         Discussion Lock: Any

    _______________________________________________________

Details:

Observations:
1. People tend to be sloppy
2. There is no way to "recursively" read from STDIN -- at least that i know
of
3. grep will try to read from STDIN forever if -r (--recursive) and no
file/directory is supplied
4. People accidentally calling grep with this combination of parameters will
often expect a considerable delay before seeing the first result and thus are
even more frustrated when finally realizing that grep wasn't working at all,
but waitin

Proposal:
a. immediately issue a warning/error message if this combination occurs 
or:
b. issue a warning/error message if this combination occurs and no input is
read for some time (~10 seconds?)

In both cases the new behavior can be avoided by providing explicit "-" as
filename -- if this seems useful

c. (least preferred, but maybe closest to what the user expects -- who
knows?!) if the combination occurs assume "." as starting point

Thanks for considering.
 -- maybe I'm especially dumb, but I've been bitten by this time and again
and always very painfully




    _______________________________________________________

Reply to this item at:

  <http://savannah.gnu.org/bugs/?29551>

_______________________________________________
  Message sent via/by Savannah
  http://savannah.gnu.org/