Detecting system changes with Dnotify
FILE RESCUE
We'll show you how you can avoid the tragedy of lost files with a transparent, Perl-based version control system.
During early phases of a project, developers tend to experiment with various options, and sometimes it is too early to save prototypes in the version control system. If you haven’t set up a repository, or if you haven’t been able to agree on its structure, you might find yourself working without a safety net. In this case, good code might fall victim to an over-zealous rm * or your editor’s delete command. This month’s Perl script, noworries, can give you automatic version control. Whenever you save a file with your editor, and whenever you use the shell to manipulate files using commands like rm or mv, a daemon hidden in the background receives a message. When it does, it picks up the new or modified file, and uses RCS to version the file. All of this is transparent to the user. Figure 1 shows a user creating and then deleting a new file in the Shell. Without some Perl wizardry, the file, myfile would have been gone for good, but calling noworries -l myfile tells us that the versioner created a backup copy just 17 seconds earlier. noworries -r 1.1 myfile retrieves the file and writes its content to STDOUT.
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
US / Canada
UK / Australia
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Wayland 1.24 Released with Fixes and New Features
Wayland continues to move forward, while X11 slowly vanishes into the shadows, and the latest release includes plenty of improvements.
-
Bugs Found in sudo
Two critical flaws allow users to gain access to root privileges.
-
Fedora Continues 32-Bit Support
In a move that should come as a relief to some portions of the Linux community, Fedora will continue supporting 32-bit architecture.
-
Linux Kernel 6.17 Drops bcachefs
After a clash over some late fixes and disagreements between bcachefs's lead developer and Linus Torvalds, bachefs is out.
-
ONLYOFFICE v9 Embraces AI
Like nearly all office suites on the market (except LibreOffice), ONLYOFFICE has decided to go the AI route.
-
Two Local Privilege Escalation Flaws Discovered in Linux
Qualys researchers have discovered two local privilege escalation vulnerabilities that allow hackers to gain root privileges on major Linux distributions.
-
New TUXEDO InfinityBook Pro Powered by AMD Ryzen AI 300
The TUXEDO InfinityBook Pro 14 Gen10 offers serious power that is ready for your business, development, or entertainment needs.
-
LibreOffice Tested as Possible Office 365 Alternative
Another major organization has decided to test the possibility of migrating from Microsoft's Office 365 to LibreOffice.
-
Linux Mint 20 Reaches EOL
With Linux Mint 20 at its end of life, the time has arrived to upgrade to Linux Mint 22.
-
TuxCare Announces Support for AlmaLinux 9.2
Thanks to TuxCare, AlmaLinux 9.2 (and soon version 9.6) now enjoys years of ongoing patching and compliance.