X-Recipient: archive-cygwin@delorie.com X-SWARE-Spam-Status: No, hits=-0.6 required=5.0 tests=AWL,BAYES_00 X-Spam-Check-By: sourceware.org Date: Tue, 2 Mar 2010 20:43:59 -0800 From: Todd Stansell To: cygwin@cygwin.com Subject: Re: "tail" command does not work as advertised Message-ID: <20100303044359.GH27220@shell02.cell.sv2.tellme.com> References: <4B8DCB6C.3010207@columbus.rr.com> <2bf229d31003021901g4c7f3b8fu340c1be2886d5f3@mail.gmail.com> <4B8DD7DF.6090006@redhat.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Disposition: inline In-Reply-To: <4B8DD7DF.6090006@redhat.com> User-Agent: Mutt/1.4.2.2i X-Proofpoint-Virus-Version: vendor=nai engine=5400 definitions=5908 signatures=605028 X-IsSubscribed: yes Mailing-List: contact cygwin-help@cygwin.com; run by ezmlm Precedence: bulk List-Id: List-Unsubscribe: List-Subscribe: List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: , Sender: cygwin-owner@cygwin.com Mail-Followup-To: cygwin@cygwin.com Delivered-To: mailing list cygwin@cygwin.com This is a side affect of the change to the newer POSIX standard. For instance, to use the old standard: 503:$ _POSIX2_VERSION=199209 504:$ export _POSIX2_VERSION 505:$ ps -a | tail +5 2864 1 2864 2864 con 718399 19:26:01 /usr/bin/rxvt 7612 2864 7612 2328 1 718399 19:26:01 /usr/bin/bash 7052 7612 7052 3740 1 718399 19:31:39 /usr/bin/ps 1468 7612 7052 3640 1 718399 19:31:39 /usr/bin/tail http://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/faq/coreutils-faq.html#Old-tail-plus-N-syntax-now-fails Todd On Tue, Mar 02, 2010 at 08:30:39PM -0700, Eric Blake wrote: > According to Chris Sutcliffe on 3/2/2010 8:01 PM: > >> The "tail +4" commands does not work as advertised. When given such command > >> (advertised in man command), it complains it can't open the file. With the > >> command "tail +5 -", it produces the desired output with some junk on > >> standard output. > > > > As per the tail manpage: > > > > -n, --lines=N > > output the last N lines, instead of the last 10; or use > > +N to output lines starting with the Nth > > > > Note that the +N notation is specific to --lines=, not the '-n' > > shorthand. > > Wrong - the +N notation also works with -n: > > ps -a | tail -n +5 > > -- > Eric Blake eblake@redhat.com +1-801-349-2682 > Libvirt virtualization library http://libvirt.org > -- Problem reports: http://cygwin.com/problems.html FAQ: http://cygwin.com/faq/ Documentation: http://cygwin.com/docs.html Unsubscribe info: http://cygwin.com/ml/#unsubscribe-simple