Re: patch should assume $PATCH_GET=0 when $PATCH_GET is unset

[Paul Eggert]

Chip Salzenberg <address@hidden> writes:

> It's remarkably intrusive, almost aggressively hostile, for a new
> version of patch to assume it knows about source control and try to
> do source control activities without express request.

I agree it's an undesirable behavior, but it's not a new behavior.
That behavior has been present in 'patch' since 1984, the year that
Larry Wall first wrote 'patch'.


> Please make a missing $PATCH_GET be equivalent to $PATCH_GET of 0.
> Pretty please, with angry upset sugar on top.

I'm inclined to go along with this suggestion, even though it is an
incompatible change, as the days of omitting working files to save
space are long gone.  However, I'd like to CC: this message to
bug-gnu-utils first, to see whether any other users of 'patch' have
comments or further suggestions.