Bugzilla – Bug 145057
SuSE has no gzcat symlink within gzip packkage
Last modified: 2006-05-16 14:54:07 UTC
I've used this many years. Curious why it's missing in SuSE now: -------------------------------------------------------------------- # gzcat /var/log/messages*.gz | grep I/O | wc -l bash: gzcat: command not found 0 ----------------- [ 02:45:31, root@skylab, ~ ] # gz gzexe gzip ----------------- [ 02:45:31, root@skylab, ~ ] # rpm -qa | grep gzip gzip-1.3.5-144 ----------------- [ 02:54:15, root@skylab, ~ ] # cd /bin ----------------- [ 02:56:21, root@skylab, /bin ] # ln -s gzip gzcat ----------------- [ 02:56:36, root@skylab, /bin ] # gzcat /var/log/messages*.gz | grep I/O | wc -l 51 ----------------- [ 02:56:47, root@skylab, /bin ] # ls -l /var/log/messages* -rw-r----- 1 root root 50672 2006-01-24 02:55 /var/log/messages -rw-r----- 1 root root 294946 2006-01-18 14:34 /var/log/messages-20060118.gz -rw-r----- 1 root root 394106 2006-01-22 14:35 /var/log/messages-20060122.gz -rw-r----- 1 root root 774327 2006-01-23 14:36 /var/log/messages-20060123.gz ----------------- [ 02:56:59, root@skylab, /bin ] # -------------------------------------------------------------------- Though, for example, gentoo has such a thing: -------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------- [ 02:49:11, olli@feedback, ~ ] $ which gzcat /bin/gzcat ----------------- [ 02:49:15, olli@feedback, ~ ] $ epm -qf `which gzcat` gzip-1.3.3-r4 ----------------- [ 02:49:50, olli@feedback, ~ ] $ ls -l `which gzcat` lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 4 Jul 2 2004 /bin/gzcat -> gzip ----------------- [ 02:53:33, olli@feedback, ~ ] $ cat /etc/gentoo-release Gentoo Base System version 1.4.16 ----------------- [ 02:53:48, olli@feedback, ~ ] $ -------------------------------------------------------------------- As you see - solution is just a simlink. %)
Just use zcat, as documented in the manual page.
Well, man allows both links. What a reason to drop gzcat link? ----------cut from man gzip zcat is identical to gunzip -c. (On some systems, zcat may be installed as gzcat to preserve the original link to compress.) ----------cut
zcat works fine since more than 10 years.
I first time met linux around that time. I can't claim that gzcat worked in 1995/1996 - just don't remember, but almost sure that it's also 've similar history. I do not see any respectable reason to prefer to stay w/ only one type of symlink. The zcat works? Fine. gzcat also does. So what? That is a mess, when systems are not keeping similar things on all unix-alike systems. Each time I've to configure BSD box I'm lacking same interface from well known utils (them exist but 've slightly diffrent interface, you know). W/ some linux distros I'm starting to miss that too. :( I'm ready to fix my opinion & habbits as needed by somthing respectable. At least I would accept w/ no complain links to LFS standard or to some other document that specifies gzcat as obsolette/invalid and/or as a thing that should be avoided from using in future environment whenever possible. BTW: Some people 've associative memory. For me it's just simpler to remember that there's gzip and gzcat - 1st two bytes are the same. PS: That is last time I reopen the bug. You're the developer & that is your choice to drop that symlink. I accept your right to do that. :) As for me - I just decided to do # cd /bin # ln -s gzip gzcat So I just shut up & 'll do that on my installation each time I install SuSE. =) /me thinks that it's time to start ~root/bin/at_new-suse-install.fix-for-me.sh
zcat is working fine.