Re: Zutils vs single compressor utilities

[Antonio Diaz Diaz]

Eric Blake wrote:
> As long as it is a configure-time option, with the default being the way
> it was before, but the ability to change it is easy, then distros will
> use the option to make the change.

Some distros are already distributing zutils and it seems they are 
having problems that neither a "--enable-programs=no" nor a 
"--rename-programs" can solve in a backwards-compatible way. They are 
"fixing" this by diverse means.

Debian is renaming (to ${FILE}.gzip) the programs in gzip when 
installing zutils[1].
[1] http://packages.debian.org/source/sid/zutils

OpenCSW is renaming (capitalizing) the programs in zutils[2].
[2] http://www.opencsw.org/search/zutils/

Moreover, as Paul said, there are more scripts in the gzip package that 
those conflicting with zutils. But the conflicting subset may change, as 
someone requested the inclusion of zmore and zless into zutils[3].
[3] http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=608485

If we include the distros in the equation I think a good solution could 
be this:

  1) Rename all the scripts in gzip to gzcat, gzcmp, etc.
  2) Suggest the distros to create a compatibility package (depending 
on gzip and conflicting with zutils) which installs links from the 
renamed gzip scripts to the old names.

I think this is also a good way, as more people installs zutils instead 
of the compatibility package, to reach the consistent state I described 
some messages ago:

 zcat --> multi-format
gzcat --> gzip-only
bzcat --> bzip2-only
...

I for one find disgusting that the program to force a .gz extension on 
gzip files is named zforce instead of gzforce.


Best regards,
Antonio.