8 Jul 2026, 04:31 by [email protected]: > Yes, but tr does not use regular expressions so its man page can't delegate > to regexp(7) as easily as > grep's can. > That's exactly my point. If it looks like a regular expression and matches like a regular expression, surely you can forgive me for thinking it's a regular expression. This is also how every conversation with a chatbot goes:
"Why isn't this bash script not working?""You have a syntax error. When you use these characters with those charaters, bash interprets it this way, not how you expect." "Why does the man page say I can do this and why did you previously say that this is how to use the syntax?" "The man page is correct and in that context I was correct, but this is a different context where different rules apply..." Every. Single. Time. > Sometimes I wish I could go back to Bell Labs circa 1975 and whisper into the > Unix developers' ears, "Simplify the utilities' API!" > I'm starting to think that every programming language should face mandatory retirement after 20 years. Every language I've learnt has become more duct tape retrofits than language: C++, Java, JavaScript and PHP (since always). Even the favourite child Python has turned The Zen of Python into a sardonic joke. (I'm obviously not serious. You don't need to remind me that COBOL runs the global financial backbone)
