Re: tail --recursive

[Jim Meyering]

Simon Windows <address@hidden> wrote:
> Jim Meyering wrote:
>> 
>> As I said already, here,
>> 
>>   http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/bug-coreutils/2008-11/msg00068.html
>> 
>> look at iwatch.
>> 
>> Perhaps you haven't seen that message, since your email server,
>> ipmailmx.internode.on.net, is making the mistake of rejecting
>> email from me based on a single, erroneous RBL (Trend Micro RBL+).
>
> I saw your email via the mailing list and I think I addressed it in my
> reply.

Oh, I see what you mean: iwatch can't quite emulate tail -f.

Then here's what I propose:

Easy approach:

  patch iwatch to make it do what you want

Harder:

  Prototype a new tail-like tool that requires Linux inotify support.
  I'd do it in perl, maybe using the Linux::Inotify2 module.  There may
  be better; I haven't looked in a long time.  It's far easier to prototype
  something like that in a scripting language than in C.  To be useful,
  it'll need at least some of the options iwatch has, e.g., for filtering.

  Then, once everyone thinks the feature set is complete,
  rewrite it in C.

> As for the RBL, I don't know my my ISP has flagged your domain. You'd

It's not just my domain.
They've black-listed an entire Class C network,
probably based on reports from more than a year ago.

> need to contact them to ask. Not much I can do about them I'm afraid.

Sure there is: switch ;-)