Xref: utzoo comp.unix.wizards:11223 comp.bugs.4bsd:996 Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!att!osu-cis!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!mailrus!ames!pasteur!ucbvax!decwrl!sun!pitstop!sundc!seismo!uunet!munnari!otc!metro!pta!teti!nswitgould!ausonics!greyham From: greyham@ausonics.OZ (Greyham Stoney) Newsgroups: comp.unix.wizards,comp.bugs.4bsd Subject: directory copying with cp; broken? Keywords: cp directory broken 4.2 bsd strange! Message-ID: <35@ausonics.OZ> Date: 16 Sep 88 02:48:10 GMT Organization: Ausonics Pty Ltd, Sydney, Australia Lines: 22 No doubt people have noticed this before, but to my way of thinking [and this may well be the problem :-] cp on our BSD 4.2 system seems to be braindamaged. When both the source and destination are directories, and the -r option is not specified, the destination directory is left with a *file* by the name of the source directory. Much the same as if cp sourcedir destdir was really doing: cat sourcedir > destdir/sourcedir I would have though cp intelligent enough to realise that source and dest were directorys, and either do what the -r option does (so why do we need it?) or just reject the copy. (depending on how you view these types of things) Which ever solution, surely changing a directory into a regular file is a bit inconsistent?. greyham@ausonics.oz -- # Greyham Stoney: (disclaimer not necessary: I'm obviously irresponsible) # greyham@ausonics.oz - Ausonics Pty Ltd, Lane Cove. | greyham@utscsd.oz - # ^^^^^^^ (Official Sponsor of this message.) | Uni of Technology, Syd. # [.signature changed to celebrate NEW LOGNAME!! ] | Good Time City!!!