Re: [bug-inetutils] ping/ping6 default count

[Alfred M. Szmidt]

   > I changed the default number of packets to send to four (instead
   > of the previous which was to send it until the end of days).

   But that was a traditional behaviour and other ping implementations
   behave this way.  So, this creates incompatibility issue.  Besides,
   now there's no way to force ping to send unlimited number of
   packets.

Several implementations of ping do quit after N packets.  There is
really nothing traditional about it.  And there is a way to force ping
to send a unlimited number of packets, `ping -c 0 HOST'.  All
documented in the NEWS file. :-)

   > This is much more useful, you never really want to send that many
   > packets to a host anyway.

   No, I use it to create low traffic over the link in order to
   prevent it from disconnecting on inactivity.

This is still possible, it is just that the default was changed.
Checking the connectivity isn't the normal thing one uses ping for.

Cheers