Tasks for GNU fileutils (listed in no particular order):

  unify textutils/fileutils/sh-utils
  libitize
  update copyright dates
  make help/version output conformant

  ls: test suite to exercize -l and -l --full-time with various LANG settings

  ls: recognize --format="%a %b..." strftime formats
  ls: add new % formats to get the 10 bytes of the permissions string
    (both individually and as groups)

  cp, mv, ln, install: make --verbose report on backup files

  chmod, chown (maybe others): Don't strip slashes unless configure
      detects that e.g. lstat can't deal with them.

  From: colin@nyx.net (Colin Plumb)
  | A very nice feature I just wanted, and I assumed a GNU tool would have,
  | is the mv analogue to cp -s, that is, move the file, but leave a symlink
  | to the new home.
  |
  | E.g. mv -s very_big_file /dir/in/fs/with/lots/of/space
  |
  | (Okay, I should make the change and submit a patch.  I just wish I
  | didn't have to deal with that bizarre brace style when doing it.)

These are mainly notes to myself.
If something piques your interest and you want to contribute,
let me know and I can send you details.

  ./mv --backup --version-con= b~ b gets *no* error

  chown --from, from Andries Brouwer

  chown, cp, etc: don't use chown on symlinks

  cp backup (-u -u) suggestion from Rafal Maszkowski

  new option: failure of `cp -p' to restore perm bits causes failure;
     POSIX says default should be no.  Stallman +u.cp


  cp-hash.c: Make this a wrapper around hash.[ch]?

  du.c: Use hash.c(hash_insert), not private copy of the cp-hash.c(hash_insert)

  cp, mv, install: factor out duplicated hash_init cruft -- put it in copy.c?

  copy.c (is_ancestor): See FIXME comment.

  cp -f (and install, etc.) fail when the destination is a dangling symlink

  make ls's size field wider, so files of size > 9,999,999 don't cause
    misalignment

  all programs that accept --verbose: accept `-v' as an abbreviation

  make sure we don't allow `mv '' /tmp' to do anything on systems that
    let us stat the zero-length string