Les Mikesell wrote: [snip about tar options]
Does it make a difference if you add the usual leading single - to the single-letter option bundle? Maintaining backwards compatibility to the ancient version of tar that allowed (or perhaps required) you to omit it has always required some strange parsing of the command line. If you include it, can you now do the usual GNUish mix of single letter and long options? I guess I would never have tried putting the target anywhere but as the last thing in the command anyway - I'm surprised that ever worked.
Many of the FSF programs use a common GETOPT routine which does all the "-" and "--" parsing common stuff. This routine skips around in the argument list looking for stuff, and so even when programs don't document the ability to intermix arguments and options, they often support it anyway. It's not that the author decided to support that, it's just that a routine already exists which does it. Mike -- p="p=%c%s%c;main(){printf(p,34,p,34);}";main(){printf(p,34,p,34);} This message made from 100% recycled bits. I can explain it for you, but I can't understand it for you. I speak only for myself, and I am unanimous in that!