[Bug 1828] Re: star installs gnutar which isn't GNU tar.

Ralph Corderoy ralph at inputplus.co.uk
Sat Sep 13 13:00:57 UTC 2008


Hi Daniel, I'm afraid I completely disagree with your recent changes.
This isn't a wishlist bug;  it's causing build failures.  I want to have
star(1) installed for the times I want star instead of tar, but in doing
so I have ./configure scripts looking for GNU tar use it in preference
to the real GNU tar because it lies and installs /bin/gnutar, this in
turn causes later build problems;  see mannheim's comment about `make
package' failing in Firefox.

Neither is the solution to "clarify/document that star (which installs
gnutar) is not GNU tar".  Users know star isn't GNU tar when they
install it.  What they don't know is it also installs /bin/gnutar which
isn't really GNU tar but ./configure won't be able to tell.

The solution is to stop star lying and have it install gnu*s*tar
instead, that is star with a GNU interface.  And also to alter
gnutar/gnustar's man page to make clear it's documenting star's
emulation of GNU tar with star's extensions.

-- 
Please clarify/document that star (which installs gnutar) is not GNU tar
https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1828
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