[Bug 2125504] Re: /usr/bin/sort: -k option does not behave as GNU's sort

[Launchpad Bug Tracker]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

** Changed in: rust-coreutils (Ubuntu)
       Status: New => Confirmed

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Title:
   /usr/bin/sort: -k option does not behave as GNU's sort

Status in rust-coreutils package in Ubuntu:
  Confirmed

Bug description:
  As discussed in LP: #2125057, when GNU's sort takes the following
  input

  ```
  17 new1 5434 online postgres /var/lib/postgresql/17/new1 /var/log/postgresql/postgresql-17-new1.log
  17 new2 5440 online postgres /var/lib/postgresql/17/new2 /var/log/postgresql/postgresql-17-new2.log
  17 old 5435 online postgres /var/lib/postgresql/17/old /var/log/postgresql/postgresql-17-old.log
  ```

  and sorts it with `-k3`, it outputs:

  ```
  17 new1 5434 online postgres /var/lib/postgresql/17/new1 /var/log/postgresql/postgresql-17-new1.log
  17 old 5435 online postgres /var/lib/postgresql/17/old /var/log/postgresql/postgresql-17-old.log
  17 new2 5440 online postgres /var/lib/postgresql/17/new2 /var/log/postgresql/postgresql-17-new2.log
  ```

  while uutils' sort outputs:

  ```
  17 old 5435 online postgres /var/lib/postgresql/17/old /var/log/postgresql/postgresql-17-old.log
  17 new1 5434 online postgres /var/lib/postgresql/17/new1 /var/log/postgresql/postgresql-17-new1.log
  17 new2 5440 online postgres /var/lib/postgresql/17/new2 /var/log/postgresql/postgresql-17-new2.log
  ```

  Note that he line being sorted in the first position has an additional space before the third field ("  5435").
  It seems that uutils' sort is including that second space in the string being sorted, while GNU's sort ignores it.

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