Created attachment 362906 [details] A file exposing this bug Description of problem: "file" reports Makefile.am as C++ program text. Version-Release number of selected component (if applicable): file-5.03-2.fc11.x86_64 and file-5.03-2.fc11.i586 # file Coin-3.1.1/include/Inventor/draggers/Makefile.am Coin-3.1.1/include/Inventor/draggers/Makefile.am: ASCII C++ program text How reproducible: Always, on certain files. Actual results: c.f. above Expected results: Function.
Every text file with word "template" is C++ file. This is upstream decision, not a bug. Closing.
(In reply to comment #1) > Every text file with word "template" is C++ file. WHAT? Then I would recommend Fedora to abandon "file" from the distro. > This is upstream decision, not a bug. Then patch around this upstream decision. file has always been unreliable, but this disqualifies upstream "file" from being taken seriously. > Closing. Reopening - I consider your answer to be inappropriate you to be ignorant about bugs in the program you are trying to maintain.
Ralf, please reconsider. Given binary files with precisely defined header, file can algorithmically recognize their format. But for text files it has to use heuristics. Those heuristics have to be fairly simple, because file cannot afford to run very slowly. Recognizing text file formats with hairy grammar rules (such as Makefile or C++) requires either a complete parser of this grammar (too slow and elephantine for our purpose) or artificial intelligence (too unreliable). You cannot expect it to be 100% correct. Of course something can be improved, where there is a good point there's something rotten: for example see Bug 526054 (you reported that, too), where LISP was recognized by string "(if", which can also appear in natural language text. But, the file program is no crystal ball nor wizard.
(In reply to comment #3) > Ralf, please reconsider. Given binary files with precisely defined header, file > can algorithmically recognize their format. But for text files it has to use > heuristics. Those heuristics have to be fairly simple, because file cannot > afford to run very slowly. Recognizing text file formats with hairy grammar > rules (such as Makefile or C++) requires either a complete parser of this > grammar (too slow and elephantine for our purpose) or artificial intelligence > (too unreliable). I disagree - It's a matter of point of view. IMO "file" is outsmarting itself: It is being used for purposes it was never designed to be used for: text file/mime-type analysis. > You cannot expect it to be 100% correct. The least I can expect is it not to produce incorrect results. Technically, speaking, "file" could provide specific results only for those cases it is "sure" about and fallback to "unknown" otherwise. It could also be extended to check file extensions (I don't know if it already does). > Of course something can be improved, where there is a good point there's > something rotten: for example see Bug 526054 (you reported that, too), Likely - I recall something like this. Also, I have at least another case unreported: *.py scripts being reported as "java". > where > LISP was recognized by string "(if", which can also appear in natural language > text. But, the file program is no crystal ball nor wizard.
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Fedora 11 changed to end-of-life (EOL) status on 2010-06-25. Fedora 11 is no longer maintained, which means that it will not receive any further security or bug fix updates. As a result we are closing this bug. If you can reproduce this bug against a currently maintained version of Fedora please feel free to reopen this bug against that version. Thank you for reporting this bug and we are sorry it could not be fixed.