'a' instead of 'J' so the ending decides the compression format. That way you don't need to remember as many switches/options.

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Also, keep in mind that when you use the f option that it has to be that last option. The above command will create an archive name pJ.

Or

Not true. If you don't use a - in front you can have any order you like for the short options, with the only problem being that options must be the first argument as a group, with the archive name second and the files/folders next. [EDIT]: I have since realised this is not entirely true either, proceed to my later post afterwards for a further clarification of how old style options work

The following are all valid and do exactly the same thing:
You can also mix and match as long as you remember to keep the short options without a - as the first argument, e.g.:
These are not valid:

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@TobiSGD: You might find the "3.3.3 Old Option Style" and "3.3.4 Mixing Option Styles" sections of the GNU tar manual interesting:

http://www.gnu.org/software/tar/manu...on/Styles.html

Do you know what the Byzantines did when the Turks were at the gates? They were engaged in questions such as: were the Father and the Son of the same substance? Such questions came to be known as Byzantine discussions.

Stop trying to shut down the discussion.

Thanks for the correction, didn't know that there is a difference when using the - in front of the options, I always use that format. My brain just can't handle the newer format.

Actually without using a - is the "Old Option Style" (how tar has traditionally worked), while with a - is a more modern invention that the tar manual calls the "Short Option Style". In addition there is -- and a keyword (e.g. --file) which they call the "Long Option Style".

Although I prefer "Old Option Style" since it is generally shorter, re-reading the online manual now I realise that I hadn't fully appreciated how it worked and actually explained it incorrectly above. Suppose I wanted to extract archive.tar to the root directory, previously I would have written:

I used "Old Option Style" at the beginning and a "Short Option Style" switch at the end. This was because I believed that the second argument had to be the archive. However now I see that this is not true. All of following also work using only "Old Option Style":

The options that take a value must be in the same order as the arguments that come after then, so if 'f' is before 'C' then it is 'archive /' but if 'C' is first then it is '/ archive'. It is logical, though it may take me a little getting used to.

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Even though I believe I could disarm the bomb, https://xkcd.com/1168/ is still relevant and highlights the complexity of a 'simple' utility like tar.

P.S. A slightly better version would have been if the way to disarm the bomb was to look at a tar command and decide which of three actions it performs. My reasoning is that I actually think most (linux/UNIX) people could provide a valid tar command but they could not understand every valid tar command in much the same way as many people can write a regex but understanding all regex is a different matter!

Before the start of this thread how many here would have known what "tar Cfx / archive.tar" did, without looking online or at the manual. I know that I at least would have failed.