lndir(1) on Solnix vs Linux and the BSDs
lndir is not in the Solnix base system; install pkgs.solnix.lndir to get it. It takes X11-style long-word options (-silent, -ignorelinks, -withrevinfo), while OpenBSD lndir uses -s, -i and -e exceptfile.
The manual pages
What Solnix runs
Not installed by default: add pkgs.solnix.lndir. The bundle shows no illumos variant of lndir. The Solnix page is lndir 1.0.5 (X Version 11). Its SEE ALSO lists only ln(1).
Differences
| Compared with | Topic | What differs |
|---|---|---|
| OpenBSD | option spelling | Solnix lndir takes the words -silent and -ignorelinks. OpenBSD lndir takes the single letters -s and -i. A script that passes -s or -i to Solnix lndir is not using the documented option names, and the page does not say whether they are accepted.Source: Solnix lndir(1) SYNOPSIS, OPTIONS (-silent, -ignorelinks); OpenBSD lndir(1) SYNOPSIS, -i, -s |
| OpenBSD | excluding files | OpenBSD has -e exceptfile, repeatable, to exclude names in every directory searched. The Solnix page documents no equivalent option. Its exclusions are fixed, apart from the -withrevinfo switch.Source: OpenBSD lndir(1) -e; Solnix lndir(1) SYNOPSIS, OPTIONS |
| OpenBSD | version-control directories | Solnix skips BitKeeper, CVS, CVS.adm, .git, .hg, RCS, SCCS and .svn unless -withrevinfo is given. OpenBSD excludes only RCS, SCCS, CVS and CVS.adm by default, so .git, .hg and .svn are shadowed there.Source: Solnix lndir(1) DESCRIPTION, -withrevinfo; OpenBSD lndir(1) -e (default exclusions) |
| OpenBSD | default exclusion of .# files | OpenBSD excludes files whose names start with .# by default. The Solnix page lists no such exclusion. It names only files ending in ~ as never shadowed, plus the revision-control directories. Source: OpenBSD lndir(1) -e (default exclusions); Solnix lndir(1) DESCRIPTION |
| OpenBSD | excluded names cannot be switched back on | On both systems, files ending in ~ are skipped by default. On Solnix this is stated as 'never shadowed', and no option overrides it. OpenBSD describes it as a default exclusion. Source: Solnix lndir(1) DESCRIPTION; OpenBSD lndir(1) -e |
| Linux, FreeBSD, NetBSD | no counterpart page | The bundle has no Linux, FreeBSD or NetBSD lndir page, so the manual gives no basis for comparing those systems. Do not assume lndir exists there. Source: Bundle header (only COUNTERPART openbsd listed) |
| OpenBSD | related pages and cleanup recipes | The OpenBSD page has SEE ALSO find(1) and patch(1), a BUGS note about patch(1) in shadow trees, and find/xargs recipes for clearing links. The Solnix page has none of these. It notes only that deleted files leave dangling symlinks, as OpenBSD does. Source: OpenBSD lndir(1) SEE ALSO, BUGS; Solnix lndir(1) SEE ALSO, DESCRIPTION |
Standards
- POSIX: lndir is not a POSIX.1-2024 utility.
- Solnix: The page states no standard and no interface stability level.
- OpenBSD: The page has no STANDARDS section. HISTORY says lndir was first distributed as part of X11, and this version first appeared in OpenBSD 1.2.
Writing portable scripts
- Options differ in spelling: Solnix uses
-silentand-ignorelinks, OpenBSD uses-sand-i. Detect the system or avoid options, and run plain 'lndir fromdir todir' where possible. - Do not rely on which revision-control directories get shadowed. Solnix skips .git, .hg and .svn by default and OpenBSD does not. Check the result, or clean the tree afterwards.
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.