Re: tail "-f" option fails two ways in version 5.93

[Jim Meyering]

Jeff Kinz <address@hidden> wrote:
> I may have found a bug in tail.
...
> address@hidden src]# ./tail -4 -f /etc/passwd
> ./tail: invalid option -- 4
> Try `./tail --help' for more information.

It's not a bug.  `-4' uses what we call the obsolescent
(aka, old but portable) option syntax.
Here are two ways to do what you want:

  tail -4f FILE
  tail -n 4 -f FILE