Answer by krazykyngekorny for Is it a UUOC (useless use of cat) to redirect...
If it works, don't fix it. I would use cat < file1 > file2 and not sweat the PC of the semantics.
View ArticleAnswer by Jens for Is it a UUOC (useless use of cat) to redirect one file to...
In addition to all the good answers, you can avoid a UUOC by simulating a cat: awk 1 file1 > file2 # For line-oriented text, not binaries. dd if=file1 of=file2 # Works for binary files, too. # many...
View ArticleAnswer by Kaz for Is it a UUOC (useless use of cat) to redirect one file to...
< from > to doesn't work because there is no command there; no process. The shell opens/creates the files and arranges the redirections (meaning that the file descriptors referencing these files...
View ArticleAnswer by Stéphane Chazelas for Is it a UUOC (useless use of cat) to redirect...
In zsh, the shell where < file1 > file2 works, the shell does invoke cat. For a command line that consists only of redirections and no command nor assignments, zsh invokes $NULLCMD (cat by...
View ArticleAnswer by tniles for Is it a UUOC (useless use of cat) to redirect one file...
It is not, because as others have pointed out, the behavior in question is shell-dependent. As you (the OP) have pointed out, this is a bit of a pedantic, maybe even humorous?, sort of topic. However,...
View ArticleAnswer by PSkocik for Is it a UUOC (useless use of cat) to redirect one file...
cat < file1 > file2 is not a UUOC. Classically, < and > do redirections which correspond to file descriptor duplications at the system level. File descriptor duplications by themselves...
View ArticleAnswer by tastytea for Is it a UUOC (useless use of cat) to redirect one file...
< file1 > file2 Seems to be shell-dependent, on zsh it works, on bash not. edit: deleted false statement
View ArticleIs it a UUOC (useless use of cat) to redirect one file to another?
If I want to make the contents of file2 match the contents of file1, I could obviously just run cp file1 file2. However, if I want to preserve everything about file2 except the contents—owner,...
View Article