Re: Bug#377600: please support -R to reverse diff (fwd)

[Bob Proulx]

martin f krafft wrote:
> Paul Eggert wrote:
> > I do.  The proposed option adds bloat and complexity to the
> > documentation and to the code, and the functionality is easily
> > available already via other means.  Perhaps the option should be
> > added anyway, but the case has not been made.
> 
> How is the functionality "easily available by other means"?

One way was already mentioned:

  diff debian/rules{.orig,}

Compare that to the code changes in diff to support it.

> Also, you're talking about bloat and complexity with a GNU tool?
> Come on...

You shouldn't make the generalization that because some (many?) GNU
Project tools have become bloated that all should also become bloated.
In fact that is one of the best reasons for trying hard to keep them
all from becoming that way.

Having said that, it would be cute functionality and it does not seem
that terrible to swap the from and to file names if that option was
present, however I did not look at the code in detail.  I am sure the
maintainers would view the request more kindly if it were supported
with patches (and copyright assignments) for the feature.  Then its
impact could be better evaluated.

Bob