tar: Styles
1
1 3.3 The Three Option Styles
1 ===========================
1
1 There are three styles for writing operations and options to the command
1 line invoking 'tar'. The different styles were developed at different
1 times during the history of 'tar'. These styles will be presented
1 below, from the most recent to the oldest.
1
1 Some options must take an argument(1). Where you _place_ the
1 arguments generally depends on which style of options you choose. We
1 will detail specific information relevant to each option style in the
1 sections on the different option styles, below. The differences are
1 subtle, yet can often be very important; incorrect option placement can
1 cause you to overwrite a number of important files. We urge you to note
1 these differences, and only use the option style(s) which makes the most
1 sense to you until you feel comfortable with the others.
1
1 Some options _may_ take an argument. Such options may have at most
1 long and short forms, they do not have old style equivalent. The rules
1 for specifying an argument for such options are stricter than those for
1 specifying mandatory arguments. Please, pay special attention to them.
1
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