> > dan writes: > > Shouldn't files like egrep and fgrep be symbolic links to grep, and same > > for any other program like this? > > What's wrong with hard links for this?
If you have hard links, and replace one of them, you still need to replace the other one, since it still points to the original file. If you have soft links and replace the real file, the soft link points to the correct file immediately. In addition, hard links cannot exist across file systems, which means that if you used them, you would have to check if both links are on the same file system, and otherways make a soft link anyway. This would introduce the need for different maintenance routines depending on the physical layout of directories on file systems, which is Definitely Not What You Want. HTH, Eric -- E.L. Meijer ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) | tel. office +31 40 2472189 Eindhoven Univ. of Technology | tel. lab. +31 40 2475032 Lab. for Catalysis and Inorg. Chem. (TAK) | tel. fax +31 40 2455054
