Man pages › Compared with Linux and the BSDs

`znew(1)` on Solnix vs Linux and the BSDs

znew is not in the Solnix base system; it is published in pkgs.solnix.gzip and is the GNU gzip znew script, the same page as on Linux. The main difference for a BSD user is that the Solnix and Linux versions add -P (pipes), and -K implies -t there.

The manual pages

Solnix: znew(1) from pkgs.solnix.gzip
Linux: znew(1) gzip-1.14
FreeBSD: znew(1) 15.1-RELEASE
OpenBSD: znew(1) 8.0
NetBSD: znew(1) 11.0

What Solnix runs

Not installed by default: add pkgs.solnix.gzip. No other illumos variants are shipped. The Solnix page is textually the same as the Linux gzip-1.14 page.

Differences

Compared with	Topic	What differs
Linux	same program	The Solnix znew page and the Linux (gzip-1.14) znew page have the same synopsis, options and BUGS text. The bundle shows no difference in behaviour between them. Source: Solnix znew(1) SYNOPSIS, OPTIONS, BUGS; Linux znew(1) SYNOPSIS, OPTIONS, BUGS
FreeBSD, OpenBSD, NetBSD	`-P` option	Solnix znew accepts `-P`, which uses pipes for the conversion to reduce disk space usage. The FreeBSD, OpenBSD and NetBSD synopses and option lists have no `-P`. Source: Solnix znew(1) -P; FreeBSD/OpenBSD/NetBSD znew(1) SYNOPSIS
FreeBSD, OpenBSD, NetBSD	`-P` loses timestamp and permissions	With `-P` on Solnix, znew does not keep the timestamp if touch(1) lacks `-r`, and does not keep permissions if chmod(1) lacks `--reference`. The BSD pages document no such limit because they have no `-P`. Source: Solnix znew(1) BUGS; FreeBSD/OpenBSD/NetBSD znew(1) SYNOPSIS
FreeBSD, OpenBSD, NetBSD	`-K` implies `-t`	On Solnix, `-K` keeps the .Z file when it is smaller than the .gz file, and implies `-t`. The BSD pages say `-K` keeps the original if it uses fewer disk blocks (1024 bytes each) and do not say it implies `-t`. Source: Solnix znew(1) -K; FreeBSD/OpenBSD/NetBSD znew(1) -K
FreeBSD, OpenBSD, NetBSD	`-f` meaning	Solnix `-f` forces recompression even if a .gz file already exists. The BSD pages say znew refuses to overwrite existing .gz files unless `-f` is given. The Solnix page does not say what happens without `-f`. Source: Solnix znew(1) -f; FreeBSD/OpenBSD/NetBSD znew(1) -f
FreeBSD, OpenBSD, NetBSD	`-t` failure behaviour	BSD pages state that if the integrity check fails the original .Z file is not removed. The Solnix page says only that `-t` tests the new files before deleting originals. Source: Solnix znew(1) -t; FreeBSD/OpenBSD/NetBSD znew(1) -t
FreeBSD, OpenBSD, NetBSD	file mode handling	The BSD pages warn that znew tries to keep the original file mode, and prints a warning if the original is not writable. The Solnix page has no such caveat; it only documents the `-P` limits. Source: FreeBSD/OpenBSD/NetBSD znew(1) CAVEATS; Solnix znew(1) BUGS
FreeBSD, OpenBSD, NetBSD	re-compressing a .gz file	The Solnix page says a file already in gzip format can be recompressed by renaming it to a .Z extension and running znew. The BSD pages do not say this. Source: Solnix znew(1) DESCRIPTION; FreeBSD/OpenBSD/NetBSD znew(1) DESCRIPTION

Standards

POSIX: znew is not a POSIX.1-2024 utility.

Writing portable scripts

Use only -f, -t, -v, -9 and -K in portable scripts; -P exists only in the Solnix and Linux versions.
Do not rely on -K implying -t: run -t explicitly alongside -K, as the BSD pages do not say it implies -t.

Every difference here is taken from the manual pages linked above: Solnix's published page, Linux (man-pages and the GNU and util-linux manuals), FreeBSD, OpenBSD and NetBSD. Each row names its source. Where a manual is silent, this page is too. Compiled 2026-10-26. Found a mistake? Mail hackers@lists.solnix.io.