[kwlug-disc] Question about `ps` and `grep`

[Ronald Barnes]

Ernst Rullmann wrote on 2024-09-26 11:57:

> Oh that’s fun. It’s because the grep command is altered so that it
> can’t match itself. With [t]mux as the argument, it appears in ps aux
> as something like:
> 
> root      748047  0.0  0.0   9212  2560 pts/10   S+   17:59   0:00
> grep --color=auto --directories=skip [t]mux
> 
> Note the brackets. But the grep expression will only match ‘tmux’ 
> without brackets. So it no longer finds itself.

Thanks Ernst!

I spent an embarrassing amount of time on this, and Chris's reply 
actually left me equally baffled.

I must have had a giant mental block on this issue. I had to look at 
Chris's reply, argue with it in my head, then suddenly the light went on.


Appreciate the explanation!


Also, am in agreement with the `ps -ef` folks: it's my go-to.

But, like Doug, the grep and reverse grep is gently chided in the video 
(rightfully so), and I'm gonna try to adapt these tools from now on.



Thanks everyone!

rb

rb