Looking for command-line UNIX-like 'tar' for Windows

[John M. Dlugosz]

In order to use the common Perl makefile distribution stuff, I need tar.exe and gzip.exe. I found gzip easily enough, as it has a home site with binaries for many platforms. But searching for "windows tar" on Google (and variations) just brings up pages that says "On windows system, try Winzip" or other alternatives on how to extract stuff from tarballs.

I want a command-line utility that uses all the same switches as the UNIX-inspired core Perl culture. But it should also work with native file names, so cygwin need not apply.

I guess I've never missed it because any GUI-based archive manager handles this format for reading anyway, and Perl stuff normally does its own management via the Archive::Tar module.

—John

[graff]

try http://www.delorie.com/gnu/dl/autoindex.cgi/ftp.gnu.org/tar

Also, there's a very cool GNU cdrom, for just $35 (helps support GNU.org), containing everything GNU-ish for windows: order your copy by selecting the large, bold "Ordering" link at http://www.gnu.org -- look for:

GNU Software for MS-Windows and MS-DOS with 150 page users manual. 2nd edition.

Not just all the basic command-line utilities (find, awk, grep, sed, ls, rm, mv, cp, yadda-yadda), but also bash, gcc and a native windows version of emacs, and perl too -- gotta love it!

[skx]

The GNU Software book contains DJGPP ports which don't always work so well. (Long filename issues). Steve
---
steve.org.uk

[graff]

I'd be interested to hear about any specific examples (though I guess this may not be the best forum). Personally, I haven't encountered any such problems -- but then, I haven't tried pounding heavily on every utility...

[jsprat]

Have you tried perl power tools tar yet? Pure perl implementation of tar.

[John M. Dlugosz]

Hey, perfect! Many thanks.

—John

[perrin]

I don't get it, why won't cygwin work? That's what I use.

[John M. Dlugosz]

The reply from bbfu indicates I may have been wrong. But other cygwin tools I've seen, namely cdrecord, uses a UNIX file system emulation. It has to have forward slashes and no drive letter, and uses another utility to "mount" whatever top-level directories you plan to use into its own tree. That looked like it was central to the cygwin system.

—John

[bbfu]

Well, yes, cygwin does create a unix filesystem emulation layer, but that doesn't mean filenames themselves are any different, just the paths. Perhaps I'm misunderstanding what you mean by "native filenames." Also, cygwin includes a cygpath command that will translate between the emulated unix filesystem paths and the native win32 paths.

If your problem was with the unix filesystem emulation layer, however, it would probably be best for you avoid having to worry about translation and just look at one of the other suggestions made elsewhere in this thread. I also think the Perl Power Tools suggestion by jsprat sounds like a good idea.

bbfu
Black flowers blossum
Fearless on my breath

[perrin]

Wasn't your original question about using it with Perl's generated makefiles? Perl's build system should not have a problem with it.

[Aristotle]

As I stated in reply to your other thread, try Gnu/Win32 if you don't like Cygwin.

Makeshifts last the longest.

[vek]

A quick google for tar.exe will give you a couple of choices. I've used the tar.exe that's found as part of the unxutils.zip package. Here's the corresponding sourceforge page.

-- vek --

[seattlejohn]

There's also UnxUtils.zip (GNU utilities for Win32), which aside from the tools themselves has a list of links to other places where you can find related tools, doc, etc.

I think someone once told me that these tools are dated and that there's better stuff out there, but I've had no problem using tar in particular on one system where I'm often in a DOS box rather than under Cygwin.

        $perlmonks{seattlejohn} = 'John Clyman';

[agentv]

...I would weigh in heavily in favor of cygwin also.

In addition to the archiving tools you seek (tar and gzip) it also comes with a distribution of perl, an instance of bash, wget, ssh, and XFree86. I have been using cygwin since the day I was burdened with Windows98 and I couldn't work in the Win32 environment without it.

I can't quite make out what you mean by "native filenames." WinDos will ignore case differences in filenames, but GNU tar under cygwin respects case differences just fine. That's about the only issue I could imagine unless you actually want a utility that preserves the myfile~1.doc filenaming convention.

...All the world looks like -well- all the world, when your hammer is Perl.
---v

[bbfu]

I also don't understand why cygwin won't work for your purposes, as it works fine with MS Windows "native" file names, but you could check out MinGW's MSYS. It includes both tar and gzip, among others. (Disclaimer: I haven't actually used MSYS.)

bbfu
Black flowers blossum
Fearless on my breath

[traveler]

If your tar file is in POSIX format, you can use the native tar in Windows (at least 2000 and 98). Yes, pax supports tar and cpio. I have used it successfully. I only have 2000 where I am right now, but it seems to work OK. You have to use Windows help to get the help. The /? does not work...

HTH, --traveler

[gmpassos]

tar.exe works very well! Here are a link with "GNU utilities for Win32" on SF: http://unxutils.sourceforge.net/

From the site: "native means the executables do only depend on the Microsoft C-runtime (msvcrt.dll) and not an emulation layer like that provided by Cygwin "

This version of tar and gzip work for me. Enjoy ;-P

Graciliano M. P.
"The creativity is the expression of the liberty".