Re: [Bug-tar] tar error

[Eric Blake]

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According to Mike Dieter on 11/2/2006 3:26 PM:
> tar version: 1.15.91
> 
> I am using Cygwin (see attachment for facts) on an IBM XP home edition.

Cygwin now ships with tar 1.16; consider upgrading.

> 
> $ tar -ztvf C:/download/Majordomo.tar.gz
> C: Unknown Host

There's your problem.  If you are using cygwin, it is assumed that you
want a POSIX environment.  On POSIX environments, the notation
c:/download/Majordomo.tar.gz tells tar to go find the remote machine named
"C" and tar the file "/download/Majordomo.tar.gz".  Cygwin is no exception
on this front, since it's goal is a POSIX-y environment on Windows.  If
you want DOS style paths to work with tar, then use a DOS compilation of
tar, such as the version provided by mingw.

> So I changed it to:
> tar -ztvf /cygdrive/c/download/Majordomo.tar.gz
> AND IT WORED!

Where as that is a POSIX path, so you are correct that it will work on
cygwin (although it won't work on the above-mentioned mingw version).

> 
> I would HOPE that BOTH would work under  Cygwin...

This is not an upstream bug in tar, nor is it a cygwin bug.  It is a
design decision.  And there was probably no need for you to slam the
upstream bug-tar list with so much information, since your problem usage
was localized to cygwin, and not indicative of an upstream tar bug.

- --
Life is short - so eat dessert first!

Eric Blake             address@hidden
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