[Bug 2127970] Re: [Ubuntu 25.10 Questing] rust coreutils "date -r file" returns a wrong date

[Julian Andres Klode]

** Changed in: rust-coreutils (Ubuntu Resolute)
       Status: Triaged => Fix Committed

** Changed in: rust-coreutils (Ubuntu Questing)
       Status: Triaged => In Progress

** Changed in: coreutils-from (Ubuntu Resolute)
       Status: Confirmed => Won't Fix

** Changed in: coreutils-from (Ubuntu Questing)
       Status: Confirmed => Won't Fix

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Title:
  [Ubuntu 25.10 Questing] rust coreutils "date -r file" returns a wrong
  date

Status in coreutils-from package in Ubuntu:
  Confirmed
Status in rust-coreutils package in Ubuntu:
  Fix Committed
Status in coreutils-from source package in Questing:
  Won't Fix
Status in rust-coreutils source package in Questing:
  In Progress
Status in coreutils-from source package in Resolute:
  Won't Fix
Status in rust-coreutils source package in Resolute:
  Fix Committed

Bug description:
  [Impact]
  date -r reports current date instead of date specified by reference file. This makes files look "too new", causing for example backup scripts to not run their backups because they think the backups are current, and possible other mayhem.

  [Test plan]
  Take a file older than now, and check that the output of

  date -r <file>

  matches

  gnudate -r <file>

  (except for localization)

  If the build passes, then the included test case
  test_date_for_file_mtime also passed. Date has a regression test suite
  as well checking other code paths for basic functionality and past
  fixes.

  [Where problems could occur]
  The change is straightforward and only affects the code using `-r`, adding the specified file as a date source and using that if specified. This uses an enum member that is newly added, and a match statement. Match statements are exhaustive so the compiler effectively guarantees us that this only affects date -r and no other code paths.

  [Original bug report]
  Ubuntu 25.10 Questing came with this rust coreutils "date" command version:

  $ date -V
  date (uutils coreutils) 0.2.2

  Problem is that the command "date -r file", that will return the last
  modification time of the given file, is returning a wrong date, in
  fact, is returning the current date:

  Example given, this file "/usr/bin/bash":
  -rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 1608840 Sep  8 15:20 /usr/bin/bash*

  The command "date -r /usr/bin/bash" correct return will be:

  Mon Sep  8 15:20:42 CEST 2025

  But instead of that rust coreutils returns the current date:

  $ /usr/bin/date -r /usr/bin/bash
  Thu Oct 16 10:18:41 CEST 2025

  The gnu coreutils works as expected and returns the last modification
  date of the given file:

  $ /usr/bin/gnudate -r /usr/bin/bash
  Mon Sep  8 15:20:42 CEST 2025

  IMHO this is a very urgent to fix bug. We've noticed it because a
  couple of our monitor scripts started to act weird triggering date
  warnings for files that were untouched.

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