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Installing GNU stuff with the 'g' prefix (gsed instead of sed) means having to remember to include the 'g' when you're on a Mac and leave it off when you're on
by caymanjim 5y ago
Installing GNU stuff with the 'g' prefix (gsed instead of sed) means having to remember to include the 'g' when you're on a Mac and leave it off when you're on Linux, or use aliases, or some other confusing and inconvenient thing, and then if you're writing a script meant for multi-platform use, it still won't work. I find it's a much better idea to install the entire GNU suite without the 'g' prefix and use PATH to control which is used. I use MacPorts to do this (/opt/local/libexec/gnubin), and even Homebrew finally supports this, although it does it in a stupid way that requires adding a PATH element for each individual GNU utility (e.g. /usr/local/opt/gnu-sed/libexec/gnubin).