GNU bug report logs - #5958
Sort-8.4 bug

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Package: coreutils;

Reported by: srodri <at> datsi.fi.upm.es

Date: Fri, 16 Apr 2010 12:14:02 UTC

Severity: normal

Merged with 5991

Fixed in version 8.5

Done: Eric Blake <eblake <at> redhat.com>

Bug is archived. No further changes may be made.

Full log

Message #17 received at 5958-done <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: pacman <at> kosh.dhis.org
To: jim <at> meyering.net (Jim Meyering)
Cc: Santiago Rodriguez <srodri <at> fi.upm.es>, 5958-done <at> debbugs.gnu.org,
	pacman <at> kosh.dhis.org, Eric Blake <eblake <at> redhat.com>
Subject: Re: bug#5958: Sort-8.4 bug
Date: Sun, 18 Apr 2010 04:00:43 -0500 (GMT+5)

Jim Meyering writes:
> 
> pacman <at> kosh.dhis.org wrote:
> > Eric Blake writes:
> >> The syntax 'sort +1' is obsolete.  You are better off rewriting your
> >
> > When you pry it from my cold dead hands...
> 
> It has been declared "obsolete" for a good reason: it is ambiguous.
> If you require that syntax, use some other sort program.
> 

What a crock.

POSIX abdicated its responsibility to fully document the sort command. This
makes the traditional documentation (i.e. the V7 man page) the most
authoritative specification for what "sort +1 -2" means. If you won't make
GNU sort behave correctly, it is time to remove it from general distribution
and let people go find a working sort command elsewhere.
This bug report was last modified 15 years and 35 days ago.

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