On 31/08/2023 19:31, Eric Blake wrote: > POSIX Issue 8 will be obsoleting %b (escape sequence interpolation) so > that future Issue 9 can change to having %b (binary literal output) > that aligns with C2x. But since escape interpolation may still remain > useful, POSIX suggested %#s (which is undefined in all versions of C) > as a possible alias for the older %b behavior. > > * src/printf.c (print_formatted, usage): Support %#s as an alias > for %b, in order to open doors to future repurposing of %b to > binary output while still allowing access to its old behavior. > * doc/coreutils.texi (printf invocation): Document it. > * NEWS: Likewise. > * tests/printf/printf-quote.sh: Add unit test coverage. Patch looks good thanks. I'd add in the attached test addition. As for compat, I notice that existing coreutils will reject %#s, while bash 5.2.15, ksh 1.0.4, dash 0.5.12 will treat as %s. cheers, Pádraig