Re: bin/59029: cut(1) -n argument doesn't work (presently unsupported, though documented)

["David H. Gutteridge via gnats" <gnats-admin%NetBSD.org@localhost>]

The following reply was made to PR bin/59029; it has been noted by GNATS.

From: "David H. Gutteridge" <david%gutteridge.ca@localhost>
To: gnats-bugs%netbsd.org@localhost, kre%munnari.OZ.AU@localhost
Cc: 
Subject: Re: bin/59029: cut(1) -n argument doesn't work (presently
 unsupported, though documented)
Date: Mon, 03 Mar 2025 20:00:19 -0500

 On Thu, 13 Feb 2025 at 11:46:16 +0700, Robert Elz wrote:
 [...]
 > Neither the standard -b nor -c algorithm would get that right.  If
 you're
 > looking for an implementation to import to improve ours, pick
 FreeBSD's.
 
 Yes, that's quite right. I looked at the AT&T "Advanced Software
 Technology" code that's used in (open-sourced) Solaris (which I infer
 is the origin of this) and FreeBSD's intent is to match that logic.
 
 Given the NetBSD test input:
 
 $ cat d_utf8.in=20
 foo=C3=84:bar:=C3=84baz
 Foo=C3=84:Bar:=C3=84Baz
 FOo=C3=84:BAr:=C3=84BAz
 FOO=C3=84:BAR:=C3=84BAZ
 
 On implementations like Fedora/RHEL that equate -b -n to -c:
 
 $ cut -b 5,6,7 d_utf8.in=20
 =EF=BF=BD:b
 =EF=BF=BD:B
 =EF=BF=BD:B
 =EF=BF=BD:B
 $ cut -b 5,6,7 -n d_utf8.in=20
 :ba
 :Ba
 :BA
 :BA
 $ cut -c 5,6,7 d_utf8.in=20
 :ba
 :Ba
 :BA
 :BA
 
 On FreeBSD and Solaris:
 
 $ cut -b 5,6,7 d_utf8.in=20
 =EF=BF=BD:b
 =EF=BF=BD:B
 =EF=BF=BD:B
 =EF=BF=BD:B
 $ cut -b 5,6,7 -n d_utf8.in=20
 =C3=84:b
 =C3=84:B
 =C3=84:B
 =C3=84:B
 $ cut -c 5,6,7 d_utf8.in=20
 :ba
 :Ba
 :BA
 :BA
 
 I've pulled over the change sets from FreeBSD to apply to ours. (Still
 adjusting/cleaning some things up.)
 
 Thanks,
 
 Dave