Subject: Re: head/tail behaviour not explained
To: zak <zak@starwhack.net>
From: Greywolf <greywolf@starwolf.com>
List: tech-userlevel
Date: 03/06/2003 08:56:45
On Sun, 2 Mar 2003, zak wrote:

[z: On Thu, Mar 06, 2003 at 03:56:51PM +0100, Igor Sobrado wrote:
[z: > Hi!
[z: >
[z: > The command-line syntax of head(1) and tail(1) is not fully explained
[z: > in the man pages.  The synopsis of head(1):
[z: >
[z: >    head [-n count] [file ...]
[z: >
[z: > and tail:
[z: >
[z: >    tail [-f | -F | -r] [-b number | -c number | -n number] [file ...]
[z: >
[z: > does not explain uses of commands like "head -5 file.txt" or
[z: > "tail -16 file2.txt".  Is this a part of the historic command-line
[z: > syntax described in STANDARDS (tail(1)) and COMPATIBILITY (head(1))
[z: > sections of the manual?
[z: >
[z:
[z: http://www.opengroup.org/onlinepubs/007904975/utilities/head.html
[z:
[z: APPLICATION USAGE
[z: 	The obsolescent - number form is withdrawn in this version. Applications should use the -n number option
[z: Issue 6
[z: The obsolescent -number form is withdrawn.
[z:
[z: There seems to be nothing similar in the page for tail.

I really wish the "open standards group" would pull out the broomstick
attached to their head.  The behaviour has been around for YEARS.  Why
are they "standardizing" against ease of use?

				--*greywolf;
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