Re: Possible bug with grep/sed/tail?

[Reuben Thomas]

On Fri, 21 Nov 2008, Jim Meyering wrote:

> But now, when I see it's so easy to roll your own,
> I wonder if it's worth adding a C program to do that for you.
>
> Opinions?

The most important thing is that this apparently long-standing problem be 
fixed in the way that places the least burden on the user.

Since all the proposed solutions involve the user having to do something, 
that means documenting it visibly. The most visible documentation is the 
command-line options and man pages of existing programs. Minimising user 
effort suggests either additional options to existing programs or a new 
program.

In short, I think this is an important enough case that a roll-your-own 
solution is really too much user burden; or put more positively, it's 
important enough that the additional maintainance burden will lift a massive 
weight from the users' shoulders.

One thing I still haven't seen, however, is a demonstration of why *in 
principle* this couldn't be made to Just Work. If it can't, then fair 
enough; if it can, it should be.

--
http://rrt.sc3d.org/
Reality is what refuses to disappear when you stop believing in it (Dick)