Thanks, Jussi. I think, on reflection, it is an error. >From the point of view of the considerate user: tar reported an error that was dutifully reported in turn as an error to launchpad. It is therefore an error.
>From the point of view of the user who wants to get something done: it reported an error, left a part-finished tarball like it was a piece of litter, and left also a residual fear that a partly executed compression routine may have left the files on which it was operating in some half- processed state that may or may not have led to data being lost. Though I recognise that this is unlikely, I cannot eliminate the possibility, particularly as I have no idea how the compression routine works. It is therefore an error. Note also that further investigation, by opening the abandoned tar ball, led to a further error. There's another error. Clearing this up would involve preventing the routine from operating if there's not enough space (and saying so), perhaps employing other available disk space, at the very least clearing up any litter, verifying that no damage has been done to the target files in the process, and doing whatever else is necessary to inform and reassure users (particularly those users who have only ever used a GUI, may have come from Windows, are perhaps somebody's grandparent or some sort of social worker or community hero with no time on their hands to be messing with technology and are not likely aware of, let alone familiar with the command line) that their data is safe - i.e. by tidying the routine up, so it doesn't look like its half finished, if you'll pardon my French. -- You received this bug notification because you are a member of Ubuntu Bugs, which is subscribed to Ubuntu. https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/698147 Title: Tar reported unspecified errors - failed to compress -- ubuntu-bugs mailing list [email protected] https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-bugs
