[Bug 1843063] [NEW] lshw -json output invalid in Eoan

[Rod Smith]

Public bug reported:

Beginning with Ubuntu 19.10 (Eoan) pre-release versions, the "lshw
-json" output appears to be invalid, and can't be parsed with either
Python's json library or the jq stand-alone command:

$ sudo lshw -json | jq .
parse error: Expected separator between values at line 25, column 8

The Python json library reports "Expecting ',' delimiter: line 25 column
8 (char 718)".

The first offending snippet looks like this:

  "capabilities" : {
    "smbios-2.7" : "SMBIOS version 2.7",
    "dmi-2.7" : "DMI version 2.7",
    "smp" : "Symmetric Multi-Processing",
    "vsyscall32" : "32-bit processes"
  }    {
      "id" : "core",
      "class" : "bus",

Note the "}    {" line. In pre-Eoan versions of Ubuntu, the equivalent
snippet looks like this:

  "capabilities" : {
    "smbios-2.7" : "SMBIOS version 2.7",
    "dmi-2.7" : "DMI version 2.7",
    "vsyscall32" : "32-bit processes"
  },
  "children" : [
    {
      "id" : "core",
      "class" : "bus",

It looks like the new version is dropping the ', "children" : [' part.

On the offending system:

$ lsb_release -rd
Description:	Ubuntu Eoan Ermine (development branch)
Release:	19.10

$ apt-cache policy lshw
lshw:
  Installed: 02.18.85-0.3
  Candidate: 02.18.85-0.3
  Version table:
 *** 02.18.85-0.3 500
        500 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu eoan/main amd64 Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status

** Affects: lshw (Ubuntu)
     Importance: Undecided
         Status: New

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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1843063

Title:
  lshw -json output invalid in Eoan

Status in lshw package in Ubuntu:
  New

Bug description:
  Beginning with Ubuntu 19.10 (Eoan) pre-release versions, the "lshw
  -json" output appears to be invalid, and can't be parsed with either
  Python's json library or the jq stand-alone command:

  $ sudo lshw -json | jq .
  parse error: Expected separator between values at line 25, column 8

  The Python json library reports "Expecting ',' delimiter: line 25
  column 8 (char 718)".

  The first offending snippet looks like this:

    "capabilities" : {
      "smbios-2.7" : "SMBIOS version 2.7",
      "dmi-2.7" : "DMI version 2.7",
      "smp" : "Symmetric Multi-Processing",
      "vsyscall32" : "32-bit processes"
    }    {
        "id" : "core",
        "class" : "bus",

  Note the "}    {" line. In pre-Eoan versions of Ubuntu, the equivalent
  snippet looks like this:

    "capabilities" : {
      "smbios-2.7" : "SMBIOS version 2.7",
      "dmi-2.7" : "DMI version 2.7",
      "vsyscall32" : "32-bit processes"
    },
    "children" : [
      {
        "id" : "core",
        "class" : "bus",

  It looks like the new version is dropping the ', "children" : [' part.

  On the offending system:

  $ lsb_release -rd
  Description:	Ubuntu Eoan Ermine (development branch)
  Release:	19.10

  $ apt-cache policy lshw
  lshw:
    Installed: 02.18.85-0.3
    Candidate: 02.18.85-0.3
    Version table:
   *** 02.18.85-0.3 500
          500 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu eoan/main amd64 Packages
          100 /var/lib/dpkg/status

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