Do not comment out all the code if we are using the GNU C library,

[chaz/tar] / README

diff --git a/README b/README
index d35f9cee3298ef4cc2a4bc836ff81858eb5df77d..2ada6860d41e53ad2c00be475972d32ad386f227 100644 (file)
--- a/README
+++ b/README
@@ -16,7 +16,6 @@ program is in the GNU `cpio' distribution.
 GNU `tar' is derived from John Gilmore's public domain `tar'.
 
 See file `ABOUT-NLS' for how to customize this program to your language.
-See file `BACKLOG' for a summary of pending mail and articles.
 See file `COPYING' for copying conditions.
 See file `INSTALL' for compilation and installation instructions.
 See file `PORTS' for various ports of GNU tar to non-Unix systems.
@@ -55,14 +54,46 @@ to the report address; rather take special arrangement with the maintainer.
 Your feedback will help us to make a better and more portable package.
 Consider documentation errors as bugs, and report them as such.  If you
 develop anything pertaining to `tar' or have suggestions, let us know
-and share your findings by writing at `tar-forum@iro.umontreal.ca'.
+and share your findings by writing to <bug-tar@gnu.org>.
 
-.--------------------.
-| Installation hints |
-`--------------------'
+
+Installation hints
+------------------
 
 Here are a few hints which might help installing `tar' on some systems.
 
+* gzip and bzip2.
+
+GNU tar uses the gzip and bzip2 programs to read and write compressed
+archives.  If you don't have these programs already, you need to
+install them.  Their sources can be found at:
+
+ftp://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/gzip/
+http://sourceware.cygnus.com/bzip2/
+
+If you see the following symptoms:
+
+   $ tar -xzf file.tar.gz
+   gzip: stdin: decompression OK, trailing garbage ignored
+   tar: Child returned status 2
+
+then you have encountered a gzip incompatibility that should be fixed
+in gzip test version 1.3, which as of this writing is available at
+<ftp://alpha.gnu.org/gnu/gzip/>.  You can work around the
+incompatibility by using a shell command like
+ `gzip -d <file.tar.gz | tar -xzf -'.
+
+* Solaris issues.
+
+GNU tar exercises many features that can cause problems with older GCC
+versions.  In particular, GCC 2.8.1 (sparc, -O1 or -O2) is known to
+miscompile GNU tar.  No compiler-related problems have been reported
+when using GCC 2.95.2 or later.
+
+Recent versions of Solaris tar sport a new -E option to generate
+extended headers in an undocumented format.  GNU tar does not
+understand these headers.
+
 * Static linking.
 
 Some platform will, by default, prepare a smaller `tar' executable
@@ -76,7 +107,7 @@ to a value from the table below, before configuration (see `INSTALL').
        Platform        Compiler        LDFLAGS
 
        (any)           Gnu C           -static
-       AIX             (vendor)        "-bnso -bI:/lib/syscalls.exp"
+       AIX             (vendor)        -bnso -bI:/lib/syscalls.exp
        HPUX            (vendor)        -Wl,-a,archive
        IRIX            (vendor)        -non_shared
        OSF             (vendor)        -non_shared
@@ -84,12 +115,12 @@ to a value from the table below, before configuration (see `INSTALL').
        Solaris         (vendor)        -Bstatic
        SunOS           (vendor)        -Bstatic
 
-* Failed `incremen.sh'.
+* Failed test `incremen.sh'.
 
 In an NFS environment, lack of synchronization between machine clocks
 might create difficulties to any tool comparing dates and file time stamps,
-like `tar' in incremental dumps.  This has been a recurrent problem in
-GNU Makefiles for the last few years.  We would like a general solution.
+like `tar' in incremental dumps.  This has been a recurrent problem with
+GNU Make for the last few years.  We would like a general solution.
 
 * BSD compatibility matters.
 
@@ -104,9 +135,9 @@ This file is not a real file, but some kind of uncompressed view of
 the real compressed swap file; there is no reason to back it up, so
 the simplest workaround is to avoid tarring this file.
 
-.------------------.
-| Special topics.  |
-`------------------'
+
+Special topics
+--------------
 
 Here are a few special matters about GNU `tar', not related to build
 matters.  See previous section for such.
@@ -137,14 +168,6 @@ archives by default, but there is a long way before we get there.
 
 * What's next?
 
-The emphasis from 1.11.2 to 1.14 has been on solving the main portability,
-execution or usability bugs.  This was accompanied all over with an
-internal cleanup in the sources, and the reassembly of a `tar' manual.
-
-The `BACKLOG' file shows approximate priorities of the many pending
-problems and suggestions.  Besides pending problems and all other matters
-listed above, the cleanup is planned to continue and extend to the general
-organization of the code, preparing a long time in advance for a possible
-merge of the `cpio' and `tar' distributions, into some common `paxutils'.
-We also want to address some long-awaited performance issues (for example:
-double buffering) or enhancements (for example: per-file compression).
+In the future we will try to release tar-1.14 as soon as possible and
+start merging with paxutils afterwards.  We'll also try to rewrite
+some parts of the documentation after paxutils has been merged.