patch

Updates source code

patch [options] target-file patch-file

patch [options]

The patch utility updates a file from a file of change information, or patches, created by diff. The patch utility can read many forms of diff output, including context diffs, ed scripts, and the default diff output. See page 1149 and the diff info page for more information on these and other output forms.

Useful when making changes to large software applications, including the Linux kernel, the patch utility allows one version of the application source to be changed into another simply by applying patches. The presence of the utility is often assumed by software developers who e-mail patches so users can install updates.

Today patches are used less frequently than ...

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