Subject: (echo a; echo b) | sort -nu looses some data
From: Rafal Maszkowski <[email-masked]>
To: [email-masked]
Date: Tue, 19 Mar 2024 16:33:09 +0100
List-Id: <debbugs-submit.debbugs.gnu.org>

Sort with -n and -u options works correctly for numbers:

(echo 10; echo 11) | sort -nu
10
11

but looses data when used with non-numbers:

(echo a; echo b) | sort -nu
a

(echo 1.0; echo 1.1) | sort -nu
1.0

I have tested this on versions 8.32 and 9.2 default for Debian 11 and
12, and additionally compiled version 9.4. The --debug option advised in
README does not say anything helpful:

(echo a; echo b) | sort --debug -nu
sort: text ordering performed using simple byte comparison
a
^ no match for key

R.
-- 
„Walczy on z całym zapamiętaniem przeciwko intelektowi” - z akt personalnych prof. A. Baeumlera