3 ms·

exa: 8 years, dead ls: 38 years and counting. Long live ls.

frou_dh 3y ago
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lindy_effect https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lindy_effect in action.
torstenvl 3y ago
I like vanilla `ls` but I do miss some display options from GNU ls when I'm on Mac, e.g., grouping directories first. Luckily, of course, it's open source, so I just added the options I needed. https://github.com/torstenvl/betterls https://github.com/torstenvl/betterls if anyone is interested exa seemed like overkill for my needs, and it was easier to add a couple lines of code than to learn a whole new tool.
- gray_-_wolf 3y ago
  You could also just install coreutils via brew...
  - torstenvl 3y ago
    Last I checked, GNU coreutils don't know anything about, e.g., macOS extended attributes. I specifically wanted to stay close to stock because macOS `ls` is designed for the system it runs on. Installing coreutils would be counterproductive.
- cb321 3y ago
  It's also a whole other tool and in Nim to boot, but https://github.com/c-blake/lc https://github.com/c-blake/lc allows you to group "dot-directories" before "dot-files" before "non-dot directories" before non-dot files. There might be enough other new functionality such as abbreviation or multi-attribute colorization schemes to motivate learning a new tool. E.g., neither "dot-ness" nor "directory-ness" in the above is hard-coded. They could be any other convenient elements of the typology / taxonomy.
- pneumic 3y ago
  on mac I do this: alias ls='LC_COLLATE=C \ls -F' doesn't sort dot directories before dot files, but it's good enough
minorannoyance2 3y ago
Seems a bit unfair to call it dead, exa's maintainer is unreachable, but the whole thing lives on as eza and is very much alive. That's a bit like saying that any company/product that changes it's name is dead at that point.
- dahfizz 3y ago
  Everyone who has exa installed and setup aliases now has to uninstall, install a new tool, and edit their workflows. exa is dead. People can move to yet another ls replacement, but they can't stay on exa.
  - Sparkle-san 3y ago
    You could stay on the current version of exa and likely not have an issue for years down the road.
  - minorannoyance2 3y ago
    This seems to heavily exaggerate the problem IMHO. Most sane people don't replace any of the basic tools like exa on critical infra that is expected to be low maintenance. Exa is a tool you install in terminals you personally use, purely for your personal comfort. And due to this situation it needs to be manually updated to a new name/new source, it's a one time operation. Surely not ideal, but hardly an unsurmountable obstacle. People using tools like this aren't exactly the sort of audience that is unfamiliar with having to install/uninstall a package.
  - prmoustache 3y ago
    Everyone who has exa installed can continue to use it as long as desired.
stavros 3y ago
Looks like ls had its latest commit three days ago: http://git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/coreutils.git/commit/src/ls.c http://git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/coreutils.git/commit/src/ls... Then again, ls is much more popular than exa.
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]
ohgodplsno 3y ago
pneumatic drill: 8 years, dead the sharp stick of metal my dad gave me: 38 years and counting long live the sharp stick of metal ? What a terrible take. Yes, ls is maintained. Although, maintained is a very strong word. It exists. It's getting a few maintenance commits here and there, and in the mean time, it's feature done. It won't evolve anymore. Just like how exa will keep existing, and won't evolve anymore. Exa also does a hell of a lot more than ls, so will LSD, Eza and others. But keep using the sharp stick of metal if it makes you feel better.
- dahfizz 3y ago
  ls is very actively maintained http://git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/coreutils.git/log/ http://git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/coreutils.git/log/
- sebastianz 3y ago
  > Yes, ls is maintained. Although, maintained is a very strong word. It exists. Why would it be a strong word? Here it is, in src/ls.c: https://github.com/coreutils/coreutils https://github.com/coreutils/coreutils It is then packaged by tens of operating system distributions, who themselves maintain extra patchsets, some of which are then upstreamed. It is installed and used on millions (billions?) of devices, for 3 decades. It's a very reliable and trusty "sharp stick of metal" :)
  - andwomggazzz662 3y ago
    That's GNU coreutils.
    - sebastianz 3y ago
      Yes, and it includes the "ls" program that this thread discusses.
- basedrum 3y ago
  I like how people are arguing that ls is alive, like there is active work being done on it over 38 years. A Unix tool that does one thing well can be considered finished and sit for years without anything going on. That doesn't mean it's dead. Sure, maybe people want fancy new stuff, but again, doesn't mean dead. If it had security problems for years, then one could argue that it's dangerous for it not to be updated and if it isn't, then proclaim it dead so people will move to something safer, but this trend to call something dead because it isn't in rust and doesn't have colors and git awareness? Meh
zanellato19 3y ago
Which ls is 38 years? Forks don't count.
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lindy_effect https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lindy_effect in action.

I like vanilla `ls` but I do miss some display options from GNU ls when I'm on Mac, e.g., grouping directories first. Luckily, of course, it's open source, so I just added the options I needed. https://github.com/torstenvl/betterls https://github.com/torstenvl/betterls if anyone is interested exa seemed like overkill for my needs, and it was easier to add a couple lines of code than to learn a whole new tool.

gray_-_wolf 3y ago
You could also just install coreutils via brew...
- torstenvl 3y ago
  Last I checked, GNU coreutils don't know anything about, e.g., macOS extended attributes. I specifically wanted to stay close to stock because macOS `ls` is designed for the system it runs on. Installing coreutils would be counterproductive.
cb321 3y ago
It's also a whole other tool and in Nim to boot, but https://github.com/c-blake/lc https://github.com/c-blake/lc allows you to group "dot-directories" before "dot-files" before "non-dot directories" before non-dot files. There might be enough other new functionality such as abbreviation or multi-attribute colorization schemes to motivate learning a new tool. E.g., neither "dot-ness" nor "directory-ness" in the above is hard-coded. They could be any other convenient elements of the typology / taxonomy.
pneumic 3y ago
on mac I do this: alias ls='LC_COLLATE=C \ls -F' doesn't sort dot directories before dot files, but it's good enough

minorannoyance2 3y ago

Seems a bit unfair to call it dead, exa's maintainer is unreachable, but the whole thing lives on as eza and is very much alive. That's a bit like saying that any company/product that changes it's name is dead at that point.

dahfizz 3y ago
Everyone who has exa installed and setup aliases now has to uninstall, install a new tool, and edit their workflows. exa is dead. People can move to yet another ls replacement, but they can't stay on exa.
- Sparkle-san 3y ago
  You could stay on the current version of exa and likely not have an issue for years down the road.
- minorannoyance2 3y ago
  This seems to heavily exaggerate the problem IMHO. Most sane people don't replace any of the basic tools like exa on critical infra that is expected to be low maintenance. Exa is a tool you install in terminals you personally use, purely for your personal comfort. And due to this situation it needs to be manually updated to a new name/new source, it's a one time operation. Surely not ideal, but hardly an unsurmountable obstacle. People using tools like this aren't exactly the sort of audience that is unfamiliar with having to install/uninstall a package.
- prmoustache 3y ago
  Everyone who has exa installed can continue to use it as long as desired.

stavros 3y ago

Looks like ls had its latest commit three days ago: http://git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/coreutils.git/commit/src/ls.c http://git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/coreutils.git/commit/src/ls... Then again, ls is much more popular than exa.

deleted 3y ago
[deleted]

ohgodplsno 3y ago

pneumatic drill: 8 years, dead the sharp stick of metal my dad gave me: 38 years and counting long live the sharp stick of metal ? What a terrible take. Yes, ls is maintained. Although, maintained is a very strong word. It exists. It's getting a few maintenance commits here and there, and in the mean time, it's feature done. It won't evolve anymore. Just like how exa will keep existing, and won't evolve anymore. Exa also does a hell of a lot more than ls, so will LSD, Eza and others. But keep using the sharp stick of metal if it makes you feel better.

dahfizz 3y ago
ls is very actively maintained http://git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/coreutils.git/log/ http://git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/coreutils.git/log/
sebastianz 3y ago
> Yes, ls is maintained. Although, maintained is a very strong word. It exists. Why would it be a strong word? Here it is, in src/ls.c: https://github.com/coreutils/coreutils https://github.com/coreutils/coreutils It is then packaged by tens of operating system distributions, who themselves maintain extra patchsets, some of which are then upstreamed. It is installed and used on millions (billions?) of devices, for 3 decades. It's a very reliable and trusty "sharp stick of metal" :)
- andwomggazzz662 3y ago
  That's GNU coreutils.
  - sebastianz 3y ago
    Yes, and it includes the "ls" program that this thread discusses.
basedrum 3y ago
I like how people are arguing that ls is alive, like there is active work being done on it over 38 years. A Unix tool that does one thing well can be considered finished and sit for years without anything going on. That doesn't mean it's dead. Sure, maybe people want fancy new stuff, but again, doesn't mean dead. If it had security problems for years, then one could argue that it's dangerous for it not to be updated and if it isn't, then proclaim it dead so people will move to something safer, but this trend to call something dead because it isn't in rust and doesn't have colors and git awareness? Meh

zanellato19 3y ago

Which ls is 38 years? Forks don't count.

deleted 3y ago
[deleted]