<strong>Report forwarded</strong> to <code>debian-bugs-dist@lists.debian.org, Bdale Garbee &lt;bdale@gag.com&gt;</code>:<br>
<code>Bug#5595</code>; Package <code>tar</code>.


debian-bugs-dist@lists.debian.orgBdale Garbee <bdale@gag.com>

Subject: Bug#5595: tar dumps core
Reply-To: Rob Leslie <rob@mars.org>, 5595@bugs.debian.org
Resent-From: Rob Leslie <rob@mars.org>
Resent-To: debian-bugs-dist@lists.debian.org
Resent-CC: Bdale Garbee <bdale@gag.com>
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Message-Id: <199611242241.RAA23644@deimos.mars.org>
To: submit@bugs.debian.org
Date: Sun, 24 Nov 1996 17:41:12 -0500
From: Rob Leslie <rob@mars.org>

Package: tar
Version: 1.11.8-5

I accidentally left off the filename, but instead of an error message:

deimos:/var/tmp:[22]% tar xfz
zsh: 23496 segmentation fault (core dumped)  tar xfz

-- 
Robert Leslie
rob@mars.org



<strong>Acknowledgement sent</strong> to <code>Rob Leslie &lt;rob@mars.org&gt;</code>:<br>
New bug report received and forwarded.  Copy sent to <code>Bdale Garbee &lt;bdale@gag.com&gt;</code>.


-t

From: owner@bugs.debian.org (Ian Jackson)
To: Rob Leslie <rob@mars.org>
Subject: Bug#5595: Acknowledgement (was: tar dumps core)
Message-ID: <handler.5595.B.84887615916526.ack@bugs.debian.org>
In-Reply-To: <199611242241.RAA23644@deimos.mars.org>
References: <199611242241.RAA23644@deimos.mars.org>

Thank you for the problem report you have sent regarding Debian Linux.
This is an automatically generated reply, to let you know your message has
been received.  It is being forwarded to the developers' mailing list for
their attention; they will reply in due course.

Your message has been sent to the package maintainer(s):
 Bdale Garbee <bdale@gag.com>

If you wish to submit further information on your problem, please send
it to 5595@bugs.debian.org (and *not* to
bugs@bugs.debian.org).

Please do not reply to the address at the top of this message,
unless you wish to report a problem with the bug-tracking system.

Ian Jackson
(maintainer, Debian bug tracking system)



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Message-Id: <199611242241.RAA23644@deimos.mars.org>
To: submit@bugs.debian.org
Subject: tar dumps core
Date: Sun, 24 Nov 1996 17:41:12 -0500
From: Rob Leslie <rob@mars.org>

Package: tar
Version: 1.11.8-5

I accidentally left off the filename, but instead of an error message:

deimos:/var/tmp:[22]% tar xfz
zsh: 23496 segmentation fault (core dumped)  tar xfz

-- 
Robert Leslie
rob@mars.org



<strong>Reply sent</strong> to <code>Bdale Garbee &lt;bdale@gag.com&gt;</code>:<br>
You have marked bug as forwarded.


-t

From: owner@bugs.debian.org (Ian Jackson)
To: Bdale Garbee <bdale@gag.com>
Subject: Bug#5595: marked as forwarded (was: tar dumps core)
Message-ID: <handler.5595.F5595.85039338711262.ackfwdd@bugs.debian.org>
In-Reply-To: <199612121452.HAA13186@chunks.gag.com>
References: <199612121452.HAA13186@chunks.gag.com> <199611242241.RAA23644@deimos.mars.org>

Your message dated Thu, 12 Dec 1996 07:52:15 -0700
with message-id <199612121452.HAA13186@chunks.gag.com>
and subject line bug reported by Debian user in tar 1.11.8
has caused the Debian bug report #5595,
regarding tar dumps core
to be marked as having been forwarded to the upstream software
author(s) pinard@iro.umontreal.ca.

(NB: If you are a system administrator and have no idea what I'm
talking about this indicates a serious mail system misconfiguration
somewhere.  Please contact me immediately.)

Ian Jackson
(maintainer, Debian bug tracking system)

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Message-Id: <199611242241.RAA23644@deimos.mars.org>
To: submit@bugs.debian.org
Subject: tar dumps core
Date: Sun, 24 Nov 1996 17:41:12 -0500
From: Rob Leslie <rob@mars.org>

Package: tar
Version: 1.11.8-5

I accidentally left off the filename, but instead of an error message:

deimos:/var/tmp:[22]% tar xfz
zsh: 23496 segmentation fault (core dumped)  tar xfz

-- 
Robert Leslie
rob@mars.org



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Date: Thu, 12 Dec 1996 07:52:15 -0700
From: Bdale Garbee <bdale@gag.com>
Message-Id: <199612121452.HAA13186@chunks.gag.com>
To: pinard@iro.umontreal.ca
Subject: bug reported by Debian user in tar 1.11.8
Cc: 5595-forwarded@bugs.debian.org, rob@mars.org

Francois,

Attached is a bug report against tar 1.11.8 reported by a Debian GNU/Linux 
user.  I've verified that the bug exists in my current 1.11.8 source tree, 
but done no more.

There seemed to be quite a few ways to get 1.11.8 to dump core during argument
parsing.  Has this section of the code received much attention in recent
pre-release snapshots?  I haven't been paying much attention since we agreed
that I would not package the pre-release snapshots for Debian.

As usual, please preserve the goop in the CC line that will record a copy of
replies in our bug tracking system.

Bdale



package: tar
Version: 1.11.8-5

I accidentally left off the filename, but instead of an error message:

deimos:/var/tmp:[22]% tar xfz
zsh: 23496 segmentation fault (core dumped)  tar xfz

-- 
Robert Leslie
rob@mars.org




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Cc: 5595-forwarded@bugs.debian.org, rob@mars.org
Subject: Re: bug reported by Debian user in tar 1.11.8
Reply-To: pinard@iro.umontreal.ca
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From: pinard@progiciels-bpi.ca (=?ISO-8859-1?Q?Fran=E7ois?= Pinard)
Date: 26 Dec 1996 09:03:51 -0500
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Bdale Garbee <bdale@gag.com> writes:

| As usual, please preserve the goop in the CC line that will record a copy of
| replies in our bug tracking system.

OK, agreed.

|    deimos:/var/tmp:[22]% tar xfz
|    zsh: 23496 segmentation fault (core dumped)  tar xfz
| Has this section of the code received much attention in recent
| pre-release snapshots?

GNU tar 1.11.8 has been released on 1995-06-17, and the bug you report
has been corrected on 1995-06-22, long before 1.11.9.  Current pretest
is 1.11.14.

| There seemed to be quite a few ways to get 1.11.8 to dump core during
| argument parsing.

Your report gives one way, which has been corrected.  Please specify the
other ways more precisely.  I cannot do much with vague appreciations.

| I haven't been paying much attention since we agreed that I would not
| package the pre-release snapshots for Debian.

I still think that officially packaging non-official pre-releases,
which we do not consider ready for public consumption, is hurting the
GNU project.  Pretesters are people who willingfully decided to help,
being aware of the rules and spirit of the pretesting game.  However,
if you feel responsible for tar in Debian, even if not an active GNU tar
pretester yourself, you might nevertheless decide to stay aware of what is
going on within GNU about tar.  Of course, you do not necessarily have to,
so maybe avoiding the frustration of being asked to not publish pretests.

-- 
François Pinard        ``Happy GNU Year!''      pinard@iro.umontreal.ca
A New Year's gift?  Give us Programming Freedom!  Email to lpf@lpf.org!



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Message-Id: <199612262352.QAA22958@chunks.gag.com>
To: pinard@iro.umontreal.ca
cc: 5595-forwarded@bugs.debian.org, rob@mars.org
Subject: Re: bug reported by Debian user in tar 1.11.8 
In-reply-to: Your message of "26 Dec 1996 09:03:51 EST."
             <oqu3p9h06w.fsf@icule.progiciels-bpi.ca> 
Date: Thu, 26 Dec 1996 16:52:27 -0700
From: Bdale Garbee <bdale@gag.com>

> GNU tar 1.11.8 has been released on 1995-06-17, and the bug you report
> has been corrected on 1995-06-22, long before 1.11.9.  Current pretest
> is 1.11.14.

Ok.  However, since you have not released a version of tar for public
consumption since 1.11.8, this defect and others still exist in the version 
of tar you apparently wish the community at large to be using.  From our
previous discussions, I understand your reasoning about pre-releases, but
this is one of the side-effects of your approach to releases that continues
to trouble me.

> | There seemed to be quite a few ways to get 1.11.8 to dump core during
> | argument parsing.
> 
> Your report gives one way, which has been corrected.  Please specify the
> other ways more precisely.  I cannot do much with vague appreciations.

I've already reported several, and you've provided fixes or indicated that
they are fixed in more recent snapshots.  I don't have any unreported bugs,
just a general sense that in the 1.11.8 timeframe, the error checking in the
argument parsing part of tar wasn't very robust.  It has been the source of
several similar but different Debian bug reports, both those which I've 
closed myself due to their severity and impact on other tools in the Debian 
system, and those which I merely forwarded to you for consideration in later
releases.

> if you feel responsible for tar in Debian, even if not an active GNU tar
> pretester yourself, you might nevertheless decide to stay aware of what is
> going on within GNU about tar.  Of course, you do not necessarily have to,
> so maybe avoiding the frustration of being asked to not publish pretests.

I *do* feel responsible for tar in Debian, and I read the pretest 
announcements relatively closely.  However, you put me in a difficult 
position.  I think it would involve substantial (duplication of) effort to 
try and extract bug fixes from the pre-release stream to fit back in to 
1.11.8 for use by Debian users.  And yet, there are bugs that will continue
to exist in 1.11.8 until you make another public release unless I engage in 
such effort.  

Please consider this as encouragement to continue working towards a snapshot
that you are comfortable releasing for general consumption.  18 months is a
long time, even/especially for free software.

Bdale