Bug 555971

Summary:	_POSIX2_VERSION removed from info
Product:	[Fedora] Fedora	Reporter:	JW <ohtmvyyn>
Component:	coreutils	Assignee:	Ondrej Vasik <ovasik>
Status:	CLOSED WORKSFORME	QA Contact:	Fedora Extras Quality Assurance <extras-qa>
Severity:	medium	Docs Contact:
Priority:	low
Version:	12	CC:	kdudka, ovasik, twaugh
Target Milestone:	---
Target Release:	---
Hardware:	All
OS:	Linux
Whiteboard:
Fixed In Version:		Doc Type:	Bug Fix
Doc Text:		Story Points:	---
Clone Of:		Environment:
Last Closed:	2010-01-18 17:31:39 UTC	Type:	---
Regression:	---	Mount Type:	---
Documentation:	---	CRM:
Verified Versions:		Category:	---
oVirt Team:	---	RHEL 7.3 requirements from Atomic Host:
Cloudforms Team:	---	Target Upstream Version:
Embargoed:

Description JW 2010-01-16 05:15:22 UTC

Description of problem:
Despite the continued existence of the _POSIX2_VERSION environment variable to allow use of +N[.M][flag] options the documentation for it has been removed from info file.  Features which are implemented should be properly documented.  A habit of implementing features without documenting them should be discouraged.

Version-Release number of selected component (if applicable):
coreutils-7.6-5

How reproducible:
Always

Steps to Reproduce:
1. _POSIX2_VERSION=199209 sort +0.1 /etc/passwd
2. "info sort" and search for _POSIX2_VERSION
  
Actual results:
1. Works as expected
2. nothing found

Expected results:
1. Work as expected
2. info should still contain the information about _POSIX2_VERSION that it used to have.

Additional info:
I have to say that the sort syntax and combinations of flags are almost completely illogical. For example, you cannot mix -b/-n flags and key-specific flags and get consistent results.  You can with the +N[.M][flag] options.
Also, if you run sort without -t flag and with key positions without -b modifier you don't get sensible or predictable results.  Naturally all of this should be the subject of another bug report, but while _POSIX2_VERSION still exists then one can use the old +N[.M][flag] style options and get perfect results all of the time. Why some clever person didn't just swap the '+' as in +N[.M][flag] with a '-' instead of inventing an inferior system of malfunctioning -k options nobody knows.

Comment 1 Ondrej Vasik 2010-01-16 09:34:36 UTC

AFAIK coreutils-7.6 (which is in F-12) info documentation still does contain information about _POSIX2_VERSION - you could check this at upstream version of coreutils.texi sourcefile at http://git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/coreutils.git/tree/doc/coreutils.texi?id=aa2f797c7d2a5ccc7f9ceacbe857dd8d621bef35 , line 1408. So maybe just some reference was removed/changed between releases. I'll check it on Monday. You could call sort syntax and combinations of flags almost completely illogical, but most of them are required by POSIX ( https://www.opengroup.org/onlinepubs/009695399/utilities/sort.html ) - and coreutils have to follow those rules/syntax. If you have some particular cases of inconsistent results, please be specific - otherwise we (or upstream) have no chance to address those issues.

Comment 2 Ondrej Vasik 2010-01-18 17:31:39 UTC

So ... F-12 info documentation has following:

$ info coreutils 'sort invocation' :
"On older systems, `sort' supports an obsolete origin-zero syntax
`+POS1 [-POS2]' for specifying sort keys.  This obsolete behavior can
be enabled or disabled with the `_POSIX2_VERSION' environment variable
(*note Standards conformance::); it can also be enabled when
`POSIXLY_CORRECT' is not set by using the obsolete syntax with `-POS2'
present."

$ info coreutils 'Standards conformance' :
" The GNU utilities normally conform to the version of POSIX that is
standard for your system.  To cause them to conform to a different
version of POSIX, define the `_POSIX2_VERSION' environment variable to
a value of the form YYYYMM specifying the year and month the standard
was adopted.  Two values are currently supported for `_POSIX2_VERSION':
`199209' stands for POSIX 1003.2-1992, and `200112' stands for POSIX
1003.1-2001.  For example, if you have a newer system but are running
software that assumes an older version of POSIX and uses `sort +1' or
`tail +10', you can work around any compatibility problems by setting
`_POSIX2_VERSION=199209' in your environment."

IMHO sufficient - so closing WORKSFORME/NOTABUG.

Comment 3 JW 2010-01-18 22:31:11 UTC

Looks like upgraded coreutils (7.6-8) has restored the missing information.