Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site sdcrdcf.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!bonnie!akgua!sdcsvax!sdcrdcf!lwall
From: lwall@sdcrdcf.UUCP (Larry Wall)
Newsgroups: net.bugs,net.unix-wizards
Subject: Re: please do your diffs right
Message-ID: <1509@sdcrdcf.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 29-Nov-84 17:24:40 EST
Article-I.D.: sdcrdcf.1509
Posted: Thu Nov 29 17:24:40 1984
Date-Received: Sun, 2-Dec-84 05:01:21 EST
References: <529@godot.UUCP>
Reply-To: lwall@sdcrdcf.UUCP (Larry Wall)
Distribution: net
Organization: System Development Corp. R+D, Santa Monica
Lines: 24
Xref: sdcsvax net.bugs:497 net.unix-wizards:10653
Summary: 

In article <529@godot.UUCP> bruce@godot.UUCP (Bruce Nemnich) writes:
>Some people post diffs of fixes and enhancements with the file order
>backwards; they tell one how to get the original file from the modified
>version.  
>
>Such diffs are not only confusing to humans, they are useless for
>automatic updating with the recently posted patch utility.
>
>Please do the diffs in the correct order, e.g., 'diff -c old new'.
>-- 
>--Bruce Nemnich, Thinking Machines Corporation, Cambridge, MA
>  ihnp4!godot!bruce, bjn@mit-mc.arpa ... soon to be bruce@godot.arpa

This was true when it was written, but isn't true now.  I also believe in
"Thinking Machines".  The latest revision of patch, just posted, will detect
reversed diffs and apply them correctly.

(In fact, it was in response to the above note that I put the feature in.
Thank you, Bruce, for the idea.)

The new version (1.2) is in net.sources.  Known bugs have also been fixed.

Larry Wall
{allegra,burdvax,cbosgd,hplabs,ihnp4,sdcsvax}!sdcrdcf!lwall