In message <Pine.NEB.4.33.0201031756280.3734-100000@chylonia.3miasto.net>, you write:
> what options should be used for sort to use everything except first 10
> characters of each line (NO FIELDS!) as a key

sort +0.10 infile

use the first field, the 10th position in that field.

-- 
Michael Parson
mparson@bl.org