Re: sort -u -n error : sort v 4.5.3

[Eric Blake]

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According to Paul Eggert on 3/5/2006 12:45 AM:
> 
> I don't see any bugs.  In one case it appears you're misunderstanding
> the POSIX requirements; in the other I don't observe the symptoms
> that you do.

I stand corrected.  Sorry for the false alarm, GNU sort is correctly doing
the specified behavior.

> 
>> $ sort -n blah  # lines with equal numeric keys should stay stable during 
>> sort
> 
> Not so.  Quoting from POSIX:
> 
>    Except when the -u option is specified, lines that otherwise
>    compare equal shall be ordered as if none of the options -d, -f,
>    -i, -n, or -k were present (but with -r still in effect, if it was
>    specified) and with all bytes in the lines significant to the
>    comparison.
>    
> So lines with equal numeric keys are sorted by ASCII value, which
> is the behavior you observed.

Point taken.  I missed that line in my first reading, since it was
indented as though it applied only when -k was in effect.

- --
Life is short - so eat dessert first!

Eric Blake             address@hidden
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