Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site grendel.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!bellcore!decvax!grendel!avolio From: avolio@grendel.UUCP (Frederick M. Avolio) Newsgroups: net.unix,net.unix-wizards Subject: Re: sort problems Message-ID: <418@grendel.UUCP> Date: Sun, 20-Jan-85 19:40:24 EST Article-I.D.: grendel.418 Posted: Sun Jan 20 19:40:24 1985 Date-Received: Tue, 22-Jan-85 06:23:57 EST References: <2040@pegasus.UUCP> Organization: DEC ULTRIX Applications Center, MD Lines: 24 Xref: watmath net.unix:3403 net.unix-wizards:11654 > Okay you sort experts why do these two sorts not work ? > sort << ! > Abe > Aba > ! > > sort << ! > Abe > $Aba > ! > Well, they do work. " Abe" *is* less than "Aba". Blank is 040 and A is 0101. In the second example the shell is reading the input and passing it to sort. $Aba is interpreted as a shell variable, which probably had no value. Hence, the line is blank. (In fact, the C shell tosses it out immediately as undefined. The Bournse shell doesn't care.) -- Fred Avolio 301/731-4100 x4227 UUCP: {seismo,decvax}!grendel!avolio ARPA: grendel!avolio@seismo.ARPA