Concern about --reply=no option of mv.

[Dana Runge]

Folks,

I noticed that the --reply option is being deprecated in mv.

Perhaps I am overlooking something, but it appears as if key
functionality is being removed from the command.

I regularly write scripts with --reply=no with the intent that if the
target file exists, the mv command fails. Neither of the recommended
replacements, -i, nor -f offer this functionality. Because these scripts
may be run from a cron job, I don't want to ask for user input.

The only option left, if --reply=no is removed, is to use

    mv -i x y < /dev/null 2> /dev/null

You tell me, is this clearer than

    mv --reply=no x y

I don't think so.

If you insist on removing my beloved --reply=no, please replace it with
a new option that provides the same functionality, and please provide
several years, 3-4 at least, to allow the new command to propagate
through all the various Linux distributions that are out there.

Thanks,
Yours,
Dana