Re: [gentoo-user] Re: Question about making a tarball

[Dale]

Neil Bothwick wrote:
> On Fri, 01 May 2009 03:04:05 -0500, Dale wrote:
>
>
>>> Tar needs to be given files or directories to include, you didn't and
>>> that's why it refused to make an empty archive. Since -C chnges to the
>>> directory you want to backup, you use . to tell it to backup the (now)
>>> current directory.
>>>
>
>
>> Would using a wild card work?  Like this; /mnt/gentoo/*  Just curious.
>>
>
> No, because the -C has already changed the working directory
> to /mnt/gentoo, so /mnt/gentoo/* would go back to where you were before
> (because of the leading/). Using * on its own wouldn't work, because
> the shell would expand it before running the tar command. Also, using
> * would exclude hidden files. You've been given a working command, why
> look for a more complex but flawed  alternative?
>

True, just learning a little bit.  I get these wild hairs every once in
a while.   lol


> tar -C somewhere -blah
>
> is equivalent to
>
> cd somewhere
> tar -blah
> cd ${OLDPWD}
>
> and workd for both creation and extraction. As you are already using it
> for extraction, why not maintain consistency and use it for creation too?
>
>
>> And to think that I thought a period was only needed for the end of a
>> sentence.  Learn something new every day I guess.
>>
>
>  . = current directory
>  .. = parent directory
>
>

Should those dots make my light bulb shine brighter?  I did forget about
those tho.  It's been a while since I used those too.  You know, cd ..
goes up one level. 

Thanks.

Dale

:-)  :-)