On Fri, 2 Mar 2012 22:16:43 -0500 Mike Frysinger <vapier@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote: > that's a weak argument. the command line interface to gzip/bzip2/xz > are largely the same on purpose. > > xz -dc foo.tar.xz | tar xf - > xzcat foo.tar.xz | tar xf - pax -rzf foo.tar.gz Normally pax/ftp handles the zippiness. Many people use a GUI that automatically unzips gzipped files. If I'm on some ancient system whose pax/tar doesn't recognize -z, getting xz onto will be at least a bother, if not a challenge. I applaud the autoconf team for quickly deciding in the face of complaints to retain gzip. I want to suggest, though, that satisfying complaints is too low a bar. Assuming everyone is or should be chomping at the bit to use xz is a mistake. > this largely sounds like "get off my lawn" Yes, I can master the xz command line. What I can't do is make an argument in favor of complexity, especially complexity gratuitously exposed to the user. Why does such an arcane, uninteresting technology warrant advertizing via a new utility and suffix? Why isn't xz a feature of zlib, so that unzipping applications could automatically use it? If the xz folks are determined to supplant gzip, why not fork gzip and add xz to it, or link zlib to the xz utility, so that one command suffices for both? As a project downstream from xz, if we must have yet another compression format independent of gzip, why not let it live along side the established one(s) until pretty much anything that links to zlib or similar also supports xz? As I see it, it's not an autoconf or even a GNU goal to promote xz. Autoconf exists to make writing portable applications easier. Lots of us who use it don't have any ax to grind regarding compression utilities; we try to minimize the time we spend re-writing scripts and dealing with non-project technologies. Requiring change, even for the sake of 10% smaller files, just never gets filed under "easier". --jkl _______________________________________________ Autoconf mailing list Autoconf@xxxxxxx https://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/autoconf
