About Reviews: The item I "Skip" will be available again after some time (if it is still in the queue) or after some other condition (like queue empty)?

I think (for suggested edits) it re-queues, at least once (or more?), which is a useful feature.

As a matter of style, in a Python script, would one...

(a) call out to os.system or similar, and make a call to grep

or

(b) Handle it natively using Python

even if (b) was longer than (a)? (b) is 4 lines, and (a) is 1.

I can post example code if anyone cares.

I geneally lean towards native myself, because things like error handling are easier.

Only Python. re module. Also portable/readable/fast.

@thanasisp Yes, I suppose that's an option. But not necessary in this case.

@StephenKitt Is there some secret handshake, or perhaps a code phrase you need, in order to get a DD to respond to you?

@FaheemMitha if it is a small script (e.g. to do check and send a notification) it's ok. My previous comment is for the general case. It always depends on the requirements.

@FaheemMitha the only Python style guide I'm aware of is at python.org/dev/peps; outside of that, I'd write whatever was easiest for my future self to understand

@FaheemMitha prepare the backport and email me the debdiff

that's a secret handshake and a pass word

@JeffSchaller if you know now what will be easiest for your future self to understand, you are the king of developers

@StephenKitt I'm King Nothing, but when I catch myself writing stuff like /^(.+?)\s+(.+)\s+(.+)\s*(.*)$/, I try to remember and put a comment nearby

(that's not the best example, just the first I found in my old scripts)

perl script from Jul 25 2011

heh, yes, commenting regexes is very often helpful

@JeffSchaller One can also give it a descriptive name.

@StephenKitt Are you referring to TeX Live?

And do you think anyone actually cares about TeX Live backports?

@JeffSchaller In my imagination DDs are rather like Freemasons. Maybe the odd mystic rite. And a special signet ring.

@FaheemMitha you do, at least ;-)

@thanasisp hey thankyou for replying, you have perfectly answered the first part of my problem, the remaining is the return the number of bits needed to store each of the characters used in stored value of the variable, like, i think it can only be 8 or 7 but that seems wrong

is asking why read exits 1 when an end of file occurs off topic?

seems like a dumb question but I'm mad and I want to know

@jesse_b I don't see why it would be off topic.

Hmm.

OK, maybe don't ask "why" since that could be opinion based.

Perhaps come at it from a historical perspective?

What is the benefit of... maybe?

I mean, just ask the question in a way that someone like Stéphane or Gilles can answer as opposed to something that only the developer of read can answer.

Or just try it and see :)

well someone like Stéphane or Gilles can answer anything :p including whether or not schrodinger's cat is alive

heh.

Oh, by the way, my sister the self-described "humanities nerd" sent me this yesterday:

How brilliant is that?

People afraid that 5g will let bad actors steal their data, so they put their router in a faraday cage! Um....

Makes as much sense as covering a lake with a tarpaulin so it doesn't get wet.

I know a guy that will probably buy one

Sweet! Next time you talk to him, tell him I have some great real estate opportunities too.

he actually would know what it does but probably has everything hardwired and is against all forms of wireless

@jesse_b I can understand that, as far as it goes. It's the idea of someone who is connected to the internet and yet is afraid of 5g stealing their data that baffles me.

He's an extremist in almost all forms of conspiracy theories

I kind of want to downvote my own question, I can see them coming though

@jesse_b Looks like a useful question, actually. The "when would this be a good thing" angle makes sense. And had a definitive answer from POSIXman too, so all good!

I'm embarrassed it was so obvious heh, in my frustration I completely blanked that use case.

I'm also surprised this is my first time dealing with that

@jesse_b If you're anything like me or the other billions of humans on the planet, that was far from the first time your brain got stuck and missed something obvious and it will not be the last :)