[ On Tuesday, October 21, 2003 at 15:03:11 (-0700), reed@reedmedia.net wrote: ]
> Subject: pkg/23218: pkg_install uses tar --fast-read but not in gnutar
>
> Should all implementations of tar have --fast-read??

The pkg_install tools should probably try to use the native and
_standard_ PAX command-line interface instead of trying to adapt to the
the very non-standard 'tar' CLI (or to require GNU Tar). 

Pax should do the "Right Thing(tm)" in all situations where GNU Tar
requires the use of it's silly unique "--fast-read" option, and arguably
the 'tar' front-end to Pax should also do the same though traditionally
Unix tar has allowed for files to be appended to a tape (archive) and
thus by default it's safest to always read the whole archive when
extracting files by name in case a "newer" version of the file appears
later in the archive.  There is no "append" feature for pax (though of
course the 'tar' front-end has one).

For a very long time now I've been using the 'tar' front-end to pax
exclusively and to do so with pkg_install I've just ripped out the silly
"--fast-read" stuff from it, though I never really use the functionality
of pkg_install where it makes any real difference (even though I do use
binary packages quite a bit).

-- 
						Greg A. Woods

+1 416 218-0098                  VE3TCP            RoboHack <woods@robohack.ca>
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