/usr/bin/rename.ul not in rename alternatives list

[Ingo Preiml]

Binary package hint: util-linux

Hello,

I recently migrated my system from another Linux distribution (Gentoo) and noticed, that the rename-tool behaves differently. I tried to change the rename tool using "sudo update-alternatives --config rename" but was unsuccessful with the message that there were no alternatives to select.

After a quick research on the net I found the following article: https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-users/2009-May/184585.html. It states that not the rename tool of util-linux is used but the perl-script prename and the rename tool of util-linux can be found at "/usr/bin/rename.ul". According to the article the following command can be used to add "rename.ul" to the list of alternatives:

update-alternatives --install /usr/bin/rename rename /usr/bin/rename.ul 50 --slave /usr/share/man/man1/rename.1.gz rename.1.gz /usr/share/man/man1/rename.ul.1.gz

After this I was able to use the util-linux based rename.

Is it possible to enable this selection by default, e.g. using a post-install trigger for util-linux or prename? Or are there other considerations for not including the standard rename?

Yours sincerely,
Ingo

------

Ubuntu release:
Description: Ubuntu 9.10
Release: 9.10

Packages:
util-linux:
  Installed: 2.16-1ubuntu5
  Candidate: 2.16-1ubuntu5
  Version table:
 *** 2.16-1ubuntu5 0
        500 http://at.archive.ubuntu.com karmic/main Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status

Expected to happen:
Find /usr/bin/rename.ul in the rename alternatives list using sudo update-alternatives --config rename

[Ingo Preiml (ipreiml-deactivatedaccount)]

Added the command

update-alternatives --install /usr/bin/rename rename /usr/bin/rename.ul 50 --slave /usr/share/man/man1/rename.1.gz rename.1.gz /usr/share/man/man1/rename.ul.1.gz

to "util-linux.postinst".

[Ingo Preiml (ipreiml-deactivatedaccount)]

Added the code to the current ubuntu patchset for util-linux.

[Scott James Remnant (Canonical) (canonical-scott)]

Will need to agree this with the Debian maintainer first.

[Ingo Preiml (ipreiml-deactivatedaccount)]

Alright :)

[Andrey Bondarenko (abone)]

rename.ul from util-linux package was removed from alternatives intentionnaly. It was a fix for Debian bug #439935, because other rename alternatives (e.g. prename) have incompatible usage syntax.

See also https://unix.stackexchange.com/a/444524/290955