This is the mail archive of the
gcc@gcc.gnu.org
mailing list for the GCC project.
Re: Use --format=pax for release?
- From: Ian Lance Taylor <iant at google dot com>
- To: Joe Buck <Joe dot Buck at synopsys dot COM>
- Cc: "gcc\ at gcc dot gnu dot org" <gcc at gcc dot gnu dot org>
- Date: Thu, 31 Mar 2011 09:00:08 -0700
- Subject: Re: Use --format=pax for release?
- References: <mcrlizvu75h.fsf@google.com> <20110331153840.GL5293@synopsys.com>
Joe Buck <Joe.Buck@synopsys.COM> writes:
> On Wed, Mar 30, 2011 at 11:38:02PM -0700, Ian Lance Taylor wrote:
>> Our releases are normally built with GNU tar, which seems to default to
>> --format=tar. I wonder if we should switch to --format=pax. The pax
>> format was defined by POSIX.1 10 years ago, and should be widely
>> supported at this point. GNU tar can generate it and recognize it.
>
> I've never seen anyone distribute free software with the pax format.
> Yes, Posix created it to settle a fight between promoters of the tar
> and the cpio format: create yet a third format and declare peace
> (pax is Latin for peace). But no one uses pax.
>
>> That might permit us to remove this paragraph from install.texi:
>>
>> @item GNU tar version 1.14 (or later)
>>
>> Necessary (only on some platforms) to untar the source code. Many
>> systems' @command{tar} programs will also work, only try GNU
>> @command{tar} if you have problems.
>
> But you'd need a program that could deal with the pax format, which, for
> most people, would be GNU tar.
The question is whether the tar program on other operating systems is
more likely to support the pax format or the GNU tar format.
If the tar program on other systems does not support the pax format,
then I agree this would be useless.
Ian