Funky cpio options (Was: Re: more uses for mode 000 (will be: cat -v considered harmful))

[Hugh Grierson]

In article <1991Feb12.043341.29652 at athena.mit.edu> scs at adam.mit.edu writes:
>In article <CLARK.91Feb11160645 at discord.cme.nist.gov> clark at cme.nist.gov (Steve Clark) writes:
>>cd $HOME
>>echo ./subdir/hugedir | tar cX - .
>>Is this not portable?
...
>This will probably spark a big "cat -v considered harmful"
>flamefest, but I'll opine that adding this tar X option wasn't
>very worthwhile.
...
>I don't know how widespread -T is (or that third option I can't
>remember).  I see that BSD tar has neither -T nor -X.

[apologies if someone else has mentioned this - the propogation delay
 to this corner of the net is very long indeed]

The SVR4 cpio supports tar format.
(and does it automatically on reads)

    find . -my -favourite -find -options | cpio -ov -Htar > dot.tar

To test it yourself...

Try:
    find . -print | cpio -o -Htar | tar -tvf -
or:
    tar -cf - | cpio -itv

[btw: I recall seeing a tar somewhere else using -F for the file-list file,
(and of course -F - for stdin).]

-- 
Hugh Grierson     hugh at fivegl.co.nz | Perfection is attained not when there is
5GL International Ltd,              | no more that can be added, but when there
Auckland, New Zealand               | is no more that can be taken away.