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nice: error in help-text about new format


From: Baard Ove KOPPERUD
Subject: nice: error in help-text about new format
Date: Sun, 3 Apr 2005 18:40:26 +0200 (CEST)

First let me thank you for your hard work and all your
excellent commands and utilities.

I would like to report a bug regarding the 'nice' command.

I'm using:
=> nice (GNU coreutils) 5.2.1

I've noticed that your fazing-out the old way of
specifying values for several commands (like 'nice',
'tail' and 'head') with simply a hyphen and the value
(e.g. -15) for the n-option and the value (e.g. -n 15).
I'm not too keen of this change, and hope you'll also
keep the old way (which I'm used to).

So, the bug:
If you specify the nice-value to 'nice' the old way,
you get a help-message... this message is *wrong*:
=> $ nice -15 top
=> nice: `-15' option is obsolete; use `-n -15' since
=> this will be removed in the future

Following the hint, would have the *oposite* effect
(*increasing* the importance, rather than lowering it),
and would require root-priviliges.

To get the same effect -- a *lowering* of the
importance by increasing the nice-value -- one
*should* use:
=> nice -n 15 top
...a *positive* value!

Because "nice -15" is equivelant to "nice -+15",
while "nice --15" would be what should become
"nice -n -15" with the new notation.

The first "-" in the old writing, specify an
*option*, not the sign of the number...

Incidently, using "nice --15" gives the *exact*
same help-message... ofcourse, *this time* it would
be correct.

--
Baard Ove KOPPERUD | address@hidden
2625 FAABERG       | ICQ# : 24367492
NORWAY             | AIM  : bokopperud
=====     Vidi,  vici,  veni     =====




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