* xargs/xargs.1 (STANDARDS CONFORMANCE): re-organise.
---
xargs/xargs.1 | 134 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++---------------
1 file changed, 93 insertions(+), 41 deletions(-)
diff --git a/xargs/xargs.1 b/xargs/xargs.1
index 0f65d870..ab0fa7c0 100644
--- a/xargs/xargs.1
+++ b/xargs/xargs.1
@@ -97,7 +97,7 @@ Disables the end-of-file string, which is treated like any
other argument.
Useful when input items might contain white space, quote marks, or backslashes.
The GNU
.B find
-(and from POSIX Issue 8, IEEE Std 1003.1\-2024)
+(and from POSIX Issue 8, IEEE Std 1003.1, 2024)
.B \-print0
option produces input suitable for this mode.
.
@@ -564,33 +564,75 @@ been killed by a signal is not used by
.BR xargs .
.
.SH "STANDARDS CONFORMANCE"
-The long-standing
-.B \-0
+This section describes the relationship between GNU
+.B xargs
+and the standards with which it complies. Some portability
+considerations are mentioned.
+
+.SS OPTIONS
+Options specified in IEEE Std 1003.1, 2024 are
+.BR \-E ,
+.BR \-I ,
+.BR \-L ,
+.BR \-n ,
+.BR \-p ,
+.BR \-r ,
+.BR \-s ,
+.BR \-t ,
+.B \-x
and
-.B \-r
-options of GNU
+.BR \-0 .
+.
+.TP
+.B \-E
+Since findutils 4.2.9 (2004), GNU
.B xargs
-appeared first in Issue 8 (IEEE Std 1003.1\-2024) of the POSIX standard.
-The long-standing
-.B \-p
-option of GNU
+has had no default logical end-of-file string.
+This may not be true of other implementations, so you should use
+.B \-E \*'\*'
+to be certain.
+.TP
+.B \-e
+Removed from POSIX in IEEE Std 1003.1, 2004.
+GNU
.B xargs
-was added to Issue 6 (IEEE Std 1003.1\-2004).
-.P
-As of GNU
-.I findutils
-version 4.2.9 (2004), the default behaviour of
+still supports this, but you should use
+.B \-E
+instead.
+.TP
+\-i
+Removed from POSIX in IEEE Std 1003.1, 2004.
+GNU
.B xargs
-is not to have a logical end-of-file marker.
-POSIX (IEEE Std 1003.1, 2004 Edition and also later editions) allows
-this.
-.P
-The \-l and \-i options appeared in the 1997 edition of the POSIX
-standard, but do not appear in the 2004 or later editions.
-Therefore you should use \-L and \-I instead, respectively.
-.P
-The \-o option is an extension to the POSIX standard for better
-compatibility with BSD.
+still supports this but you should use
+.B \-I
+instead.
+.TP
+.B \-l
+Removed from POSIX in IEEE Std 1003.1, 2004.
+GNU
+.B xargs
+still supports this but you should use
+.B \-L
+instead.
+.TP
+.B \-o
+An extension to the POSIX standard for better
+compatibility with BSD. Not in POSIX.
+.TP
+.B \-p
+A GNU extension since before 1994.
+Added to POSIX in IEEE Std 1003.1, 2004.
+.TP
+.B \-r
+A GNU extension since before 1994.
+Added to POSIX in IEEE Std 1003.1, 2024.
+.TP
+.B \-0
+A GNU extension since before 1994.
+Added to POSIX in IEEE Std 1003.1, 2024.
+.
+.SS EXEC SYSTEM CALL LIMITS
.P
The POSIX standard allows implementations to have a limit on the size
of arguments to the
@@ -604,16 +646,8 @@ The
.B \-\-show\-limits
option can be used to discover the actual limits in force on the
current system.
-.P
-In versions of
-.B xargs
-up to and including version 4.9.0 (2022), SIGUSR1 and SIGUSR2 would
-not cause
-.B xargs
-to terminate even if the
-.B \-P
-option was not used.
.
+.SS POSIX EXIT STATUS REQUIREMENTS
.P
The POSIX standard specifies that certain kinds of problem must result
in particular
@@ -637,13 +671,17 @@ failed with
value ENOENT
T}
_|_|_|_
-Utility could not be invoked|126|126|T{
+T{
+Utility could not be invoked
+T}|126|126|T{
.ad l
.BR execvp (2)
failed with any other error
T}
_|_|_|_
-Any other non-success case|1 \- 125|125|T{
+T{
+Any other non-success case
+T}|1 \- 125|125|T{
.ad l
Utility killed by a fatal signal
T}
@@ -663,6 +701,23 @@ _|_|_|_
Successful completion|0|0|
.TE
.
+.SS CONFORMANCE BUGS
+.TS
+tab(|);
+Lb Lb Lb
+L L Lx.
+Introduced|Fixed|Description
+4.5.10 (2011)|4.10.0 (2024)|T{
+SIGUSR1 should be a fatal signal by default, but
+SIGUSR1 would not kill
+.B xargs
+even if the
+.B \-P
+option was not in use.
+T}
+.TE
+.P See also the BUGS section, below.
+.
.SH "HISTORY"
.
The
@@ -675,6 +730,7 @@ chapter
for more information.
.
.SH "BUGS"
+.SS "SECURITY"
It is not possible for
.B xargs
to be used securely, since there will always be a time gap between the
@@ -696,6 +752,8 @@ The
option of
.B find
can often be used as a more secure alternative.
+.
+.SS "IMPLEMENTATION LIMITS"
.P
When you use the
.B \-I
@@ -740,12 +798,6 @@ The problem doesn't occur with the output of
.BR find (1)
because it emits just one filename per line.
.P
-In versions of
-.B xargs
-up to and including version 4.9.0 (2022),
-.B xargs -P
-would exit while some of its children were still running, if one of
-them exited with status 255.
.
.SH "REPORTING BUGS"
GNU
--
2.47.3
