Hi, This is to report an issue that I have run into while using tar.
*Issue* - tar destroys file when arguments are passed in wrong order leading to loss of data. *Correct tar order* - tar -cvzf "archive_file_name" "file_to_be_archived" *Order actually passed* - tar - cvzf "file_to_be_archived" "archive_file_name" tar ignores the fact that the "file_to_be_archived" exists and simply overwrites it, and then crashes out complaining that "archive_file_name" doesn't exist. While I agree that the command was passed by the user in the wrong order, I feel it's something that is quite possible and tar should follow a defensive approach of complaining that a file exists rather than overwriting it. I've been using tar for years and I ended up passing the wrong arguments today, which led to me losing data :-( Thanks, Pulkit and Meghna
