Bug#973471: look has unpredictable behavior
Currently `look` is broken, according to upstream and Ubuntu bugs: https://github.com/util-linux/util-linux/issues/1493[1] https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/util-linux/+bug/1971425[2] aptitude show wamerican bsdextrautils Package: wamerican Version: 2020.12.07-2 State: installed ... This package provides the file /usr/share/dict/american-english containing a list of English words with American spellings. This list can be used by spelling checkers, and by programs such as look(1). Package: bsdextrautils Version: 2.38-4 New: yes State: installed Automatically installed: yes ... `bsdextrautils` cannot be not installed because it's in the dependencies of `man-db`. Thanks, Chris [1] https://github.com/util-linux/util-linux/issues/1493 [2] https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/util-linux/+bug/1971425
Bug#973471: look has unpredictable behavior
Package: util-linux Version: 2.36.1-8+deb11u1 Followup-For: Bug #973471 Hello, The issue is that currently "look" is broken on debian/bullseye. I don't know whether this package needs to be updated or the dictionary package(s). Attached is a patch that removes the default -d and -f when no dictionary file is given, which seems to mitigate this issue. Regards, Yair. -- System Information: Debian Release: 11.3 APT prefers stable APT policy: (990, 'stable'), (910, 'stable-security') Architecture: amd64 (x86_64) Foreign Architectures: i386 Kernel: Linux 5.10.104-aufs-3 (SMP w/4 CPU threads) Kernel taint flags: TAINT_PROPRIETARY_MODULE, TAINT_OOT_MODULE Locale: LANG=en_IL.UTF-8, LC_CTYPE=en_IL.UTF-8 (charmap=UTF-8), LANGUAGE=en_US:en_GB:en Shell: /bin/sh linked to /usr/bin/bash Init: systemd (via /run/systemd/system) Versions of packages util-linux depends on: ii libaudit1 1:3.0-2 ii libblkid1 2.36.1-8+deb11u1 ii libc6 2.31-13+deb11u3 ii libcap-ng0 0.7.9-2.2+b1 ii libcrypt1 1:4.4.18-4 ii libmount1 2.36.1-8+deb11u1 ii libpam0g 1.4.0-9+deb11u1 ii libselinux13.1-3 ii libsmartcols1 2.36.1-8+deb11u1 ii libsystemd0247.3-7 ii libtinfo6 6.2+20201114-2 ii libudev1 247.3-7 ii libuuid1 2.36.1-8+deb11u1 ii login 1:4.8.1-1 ii zlib1g 1:1.2.11.dfsg-2 util-linux recommends no packages. Versions of packages util-linux suggests: ii dosfstools 4.2-1 ii kbd 2.3.0-3 pn util-linux-locales -- Configuration Files: /etc/pam.d/runuser [Errno 2] No such file or directory: '/etc/pam.d/runuser' /etc/pam.d/runuser-l [Errno 2] No such file or directory: '/etc/pam.d/runuser-l' /etc/pam.d/su changed [not included] /etc/pam.d/su-l changed [not included] -- no debconf information --- a/misc-utils/look.1 +++ b/misc-utils/look.1 @@ -69,15 +69,13 @@ .TP .BR \-d , " \-\-alphanum" Use normal dictionary character set and order, i.e., only blanks and -alphanumeric characters are compared. This is on by default if no file is -specified. +alphanumeric characters are compared. Note that blanks have been added to dictionary character set for compatibility with \fBsort \-d\fR command since version 2.28. .TP .BR \-f , " \-\-ignore\-case" -Ignore the case of alphabetic characters. This is on by default if no file is -specified. +Ignore the case of alphabetic characters. .TP .BR \-t , " \-\-terminate " \fIcharacter\fR Specify a string termination character, i.e., only the characters --- a/misc-utils/look.c +++ b/misc-utils/look.c @@ -141,8 +141,8 @@ string = *argv++; file = *argv; break; - case 1: /* But set -df by default. */ - dflag = fflag = 1; + case 1: /* But set -df by default (except on debian) */ + //dflag = fflag = 1; string = *argv; break; default:
Bug#973471: look has unpredictable behavior
Hello Jamie Heilman, * Jamie Heilman [201031 09:33]: > look's behavior became really unpredictable when it migrated from > bsdmainutils to util-linux. Thank you for your report. > $ look achi [6 results] > $ grep -ci ^achi /usr/share/dict/words > 36 For one, you seem to be using a different words file than me: $ grep -ci '^achi' /usr/share/dict/words 16 Anyway, util-linux's look uses a binary search and has requirements on the input file. This is documented in the manpage look(1): | As look performs a binary search, the lines in file must be | sorted (where sort(1) was given the same options -d and/or -f | that look is invoked with) /usr/share/dict/words (in my case /usr/share/dict/american-english) does not follow these requirements. If you read the old look(1) manpage, it says under COMPATIBILITY: | look uses a linear search by default instead of a binary search, | which is what most other implementations use by default. Now we are back at "what most other implementations use", so one less compatibility issue. If you would like to see improvements over this, please talk to upstream about it. Their contacts are: E-MAIL: util-li...@vger.kernel.org Web:https://github.com/karelzak/util-linux/issues Best wishes, Chris
Bug#973471: look has unpredictable behavior
Package: bsdextrautils Version: 2.36-3+b1 look's behavior became really unpredictable when it migrated from bsdmainutils to util-linux. $ look achi Achille Achille's Achillean Achilles Achilles's Achitophel $ grep -ci ^achi /usr/share/dict/words 36 $ This is just one example but sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. It tends to behave consistently for a given prefix, but if it chooses capitalized words or not varies (locale makes no difference that I can see). eg: $ look cra | wc -l 518 $ grep -ci ^cra /usr/share/dict/words 609 $ diff -u <(grep -i ^cra /usr/share/dict/words) <(look cra) | head --- /dev/fd/63 2020-10-31 08:00:51.587099984 + +++ /dev/fd/62 2020-10-31 08:00:51.587099984 + @@ -1,94 +1,3 @@ -Crabbe -Crabbe's -Craborchard -Craborchard's -Crabtree -Crabtree's -Cracker -- Jamie Heilman http://audible.transient.net/~jamie/
