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install: errors for a target that is not a directory differ from GNU #14999
Description
When the destination of install is not a usable directory, the error wording differs from GNU (uutils at 2b85f6f, GNU 9.12 built from source):
| command | GNU | uutils |
|---|---|---|
install f g regular |
target 'regular': Not a directory |
target 'regular' is not a directory |
install f g missing |
target 'missing': No such file or directory |
target 'missing' is not a directory |
install f regular/ |
cannot stat 'regular/': Not a directory |
target 'regular/' is not a directory |
install f missing/ |
cannot create regular file 'missing/': Not a directory |
target 'missing/' is not a directory |
install -D -t regular/sub f |
failed to access 'regular/sub': Not a directory |
cannot create directory 'regular/sub' |
(regular is a plain file.) Both fail and leave the paths alone; only the messages differ. The single-source install -t X f case is handled separately in #14997.
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xtqqczze commentedon Oct 1, 2026
@abendrothj In general, please check against the latest GNU version, preferably by building from source, or at least GNU 9.12 binaries.
abendrothj commentedon Oct 1, 2026
Rechecked against GNU 9.12 built from the release tarball: all five messages are identical to the 9.1 output in the table, and uutils main (
2b85f6f12) still differs in the same way. I've updated the version in the description.