Package: cpio
Version: 2.13+dfsg-4
Severity: normal
Tags: upstream

"cpio --help" provides the following information:

    Main operation mode:
    -i, --extract              Extract files from an archive (run in copy-in
mode)
    -o, --create               Create the archive (run in copy-out mode)
    -p, --pass-through         Run in copy-pass mode
    -t, --list                 Print a table of contents of the input

however, "man cpio" does not describe the "--list" option, and the "-t"
equivalent
is only implicitly mentioned:

    The operation mode is requested by one of the following options:

    -o, --create
        Copy-out. Read a list of file names from the standard input and create
on the standard
        output (unless overridden by the --file option) an archive containing
these files.

    -i, --extract
        Copy-in. Read the archive from standard input (or from the file
supplied with the --file
        option) and extract files from it, or (if the -t option is given) list
its contents to
        the standard output. If one or more patterns are supplied, read or list
only files
        matching these patterns. The -t option alone implies -i.

    -p, --pass-through
        Pass-through. Read a list of file names from the standard input and
copy them to the
        specified directory.

the only mention of the "--list" option is in the SYNOPSIS section of the
manual page,
but it is not explained, or specified as the equivalent of "-t".

the manual page should be rewritten to match the description given by "cpio
--help",
which makes clear that "-t" / "--list" is one of the main operating modes of
the cpio
command, and not some kind of minor variation of the "--extract" mode.


related bugs:

https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=558149

https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=755552



-- System Information:
Debian Release: bullseye/sid
  APT prefers testing
  APT policy: (990, 'testing'), (500, 'stable-updates'), (500, 'unstable'), 
(500, 'stable'), (1, 'experimental')
Architecture: amd64 (x86_64)

Kernel: Linux 5.8.0-2-amd64 (SMP w/4 CPU threads)
Locale: LANG=en_CA.utf8, LC_CTYPE=en_CA.utf8 (charmap=UTF-8), LANGUAGE not set
Shell: /bin/sh linked to /bin/dash
Init: systemd (via /run/systemd/system)
LSM: AppArmor: enabled

Versions of packages cpio depends on:
ii  libc6  2.31-3

cpio recommends no packages.

Versions of packages cpio suggests:
pn  libarchive1  <none>

-- no debconf information

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