tolleff flag ist set by default -> weird behaviour

[Sebastian W.]

By default configuration "debian/parallel.config-file" sets the --tolleff flag which leads to the weird error that e.g.

ls | parallel echo {}

does not work.

For more information, see
http://stackoverflow.com/questions/16448887/gnu-parallel-not-working-at-all/16448888#16448888
http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/parallel/2013-02/msg00018.html

Is it possible to delete this flag by default? I don't won't anyone else wasting 1 hour spending to search for the error

[Julian Taylor (jtaylor)]

--tollef can't be removed because that would make it incompatible with the parallel in the moreutils package (which was there first).
but adding a warning when the flag is used might be a good idea. This will have to be discussed with the debian maintainers.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

[Stuart Bishop (stub)]

At the moment it is incompatible with its own man page, which only gives examples with the GNU syntax, states that GNU is the default, and states in no uncertain terms 'Do not use --tollef unless you know what you are doing'. So there is certainly a bug to fix here, even if it is just updating the man page.

[Søren Holm (sgh)]

According to this link, --tollef is actually being retired.

http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/parallel/2013-02/msg00018.html

So that's another reason why it should be removed.

[era (era)]

Another hour down the drain. The inconsistency WRT the man page noted in comment #3 is a real killer.

 Anyway, Ubuntu does not have to abide by the silly turf war in Debian -- just override the config file (or merge the newest package, which should finally fix this, if I understand the upstream bug report's status correctly).

[Stuart Bishop (stub)]

In saucy:

parallel: Warning: YOU ARE USING --tollef. IF THINGS ARE ACTING WEIRD USE --gnu.
parallel: Warning: --tollef is obsolete and will be retired 20140222.
parallel: Warning: See: http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/parallel/2013-02/msg00018.html

The tollef argument is being retired before saucy EOL, so we should probably fix this.

[Søren Holm (sgh)]

"ls | parallel echo {}" works with a fresh parallel install now,

[era (era)]

@sgh: is that as in "latest Ubuntu package in a fresh install" or something else?

[Søren Holm (sgh)]

The latest parallel-package in latest saucy version works. I had the package install initially but removed it with 'dpkg -P' and ensured that /etc/parallel was empty.

[era (era)]

Setting to "Fix Released" based on latest comment.