Subject: Re: Proposal for new utility in base: bin/nc
To: None <tech-userlevel@NetBSD.ORG>
From: Eric Gillespie, Jr. <epg@pretzelnet.org>
List: tech-userlevel
Date: 10/12/2001 09:18:58
Simon Burge <simonb@wasabisystems.com> writes:

    > I did download your program and had a look at it.  It looks
    > handy for some circumstances, but _I_ personally don't see
    > the need for it in the base system.  Without examples, I
    > can't see any advantage to using nc over using ftp (and in

It's one of those last-ditch oh-shit-the-system's-fucked tools.
It's also useful as a general network testing and debugging
tool.  It belongs in the same place as ping.

    > fact anything I can think of seems harder using nc since
    > you need to actively set up something on the listener side
    > each time you want to use it).

Not so.  nc doesn't implement some kind of protocol; you're not
trying to talk to an nc server.  It opens TCP connections of any
kind.  It's not a file transfer program.

    > That said, you've said you've volunteered to add the other
    > netcat features and it certainly looks like your program

Sure, if people really want them.  I'd rather keep it small and
simple and get it into the base system though :).

-- 
Eric Gillespie, Jr.
mailto:epg@pretzelnet.org <*> jabber:pretzelgod@jabber.org

"This movie sure is gory!"
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