coreutils

Overview

GNU Coreutils provides the standard command-line utilities for basic file, shell, and text manipulation on Unix-like systems. In a Linux distribution, this package is part of the low-level userland that many scripts, installers, maintenance tasks, and interactive shell sessions rely on.

NiceOS packages this upstream project so that the distribution can ship a tested, integrated build and track it through normal RPM update and rebuild workflows.

Purpose and typical use cases

Typical use cases include:

• day-to-day shell work with tools such as cp, mv, rm, mkdir, ls, and related commands
• system administration tasks that copy, inspect, move, compare, or transform files
• scripting and automation in CI/CD and build pipelines
• packaging and release engineering workflows that depend on predictable core command-line behavior
• basic filesystem and text processing on servers, workstations, and containers

Typical users include administrators, developers, build and release engineers, CI/CD maintainers, and desktop users who rely on standard command-line tools.

Upstream project

Upstream is the GNU Coreutils project from the GNU Project / Free Software Foundation. The project documents the package as the GNU core utilities and maintains the primary manual for the tools. (gnu.org)

If NiceOS maintainers need to check a specific command, option, or behavior, the upstream manual is the first reference to consult. If a detail is uncertain for a packaging update, verify it against the upstream documentation before relying on it. (gnu.org)

Dist-git repository contents

This dist-git repository contains the packaging sources for the RPM:

• SPECS/ — RPM spec files and packaging logic
• SOURCES/ — source integrity metadata and manifests used by the packaging workflow
• METADATA/ — repository metadata maintained by the dist-git tooling
• SBOM/ — software bill of materials data when present in the packaging workflow

Large upstream source archives are intentionally not stored in this Git repository. Only the metadata needed to identify and verify the imported sources is kept under SOURCES/.

Source storage and integrity policy

The repository follows a manifest-based source policy:

• upstream archives are stored outside the Git history
• SOURCES/ records the source set through manifest files and related metadata
• integrity is checked from the recorded metadata rather than from files copied into the repository

This keeps the repository lightweight and makes source import history easier to review. Maintain this policy during updates unless the packaging rules change.

NiceOS maintenance notes

Before updating the package, NiceOS maintainers should check:

• whether upstream changes alter installed behavior, command defaults, or shell-visible output
• whether the spec file needs refreshes for patches, build flags, or documentation handling
• whether generated packaging metadata in SOURCES/, METADATA/, or SBOM/ needs regeneration
• whether any downstream patch still applies cleanly and remains necessary
• whether tests or build-time checks should be adjusted for changed upstream behavior
• whether the update affects scripts or automation that expect stable command semantics

Risks to consider:

• subtle behavior changes can break shell scripts even when the package still builds
• documentation-only updates may still require metadata refreshes if the imported source set changed
• changes in upstream build tooling may affect reproducibility or the distribution build environment

If any repository file or source entry seems unclear, NiceOS maintainers should verify the packaging workflow before publishing the update.

Build and verification checklist

For a routine RPM update, verify at least the following:

• confirm the imported upstream source set matches the expected manifest in SOURCES/
• review the spec file for removed or newly added patches
• build the SRPM and binary RPMs in a clean environment
• run the package test suite if the spec provides one
• inspect installed file lists and file ownership for unexpected changes
• confirm the package still provides the expected command-line utilities
• check that man pages, info pages, and other packaged documentation are installed as intended
• review the changelog and downstream notes for any behavior-sensitive changes
• perform a local runtime spot check of a few common commands before pushing

References

• GNU Coreutils project page
• GNU Coreutils manual
• GNU Coreutils FAQ

Russian documentation

See README_RU.md for the Russian version.

Dist-git repository notes

• Package repository: rpms/coreutils
• NiceOS branch: niceos-5.2
• This README is intentionally stable and does not include EVR, source archive checksums or lock hashes.