"mawk -F '\0' '{print $1}'" doesn't give the expected result

[Gert Hulselmans]

Binary package hint: mawk

'mawk -F '\0' '{print $1}''' doesn't give the expected result.

Mawk version of Ubuntu 10.10.

How to reproduce:
-----------------------

Download the last development version of boot_info_script:
  wget -O boot_info_script.sh 'http://bootinfoscript.git.sourceforge.net/git/gitweb.cgi?p=bootinfoscript/bootinfoscript;a=blob_plain;f=boot_info_script-gawk.sh;hb=HEAD'

Replace gawk with mawk:
  sed -e 's|gawk|mawk|' boot_info_script-gawk.sh > boot_info_script-mawk-1.3.3.sh

Copy grldr (grub4dos) file to the root of a drive:
http://code.google.com/p/grub4dos-chenall/downloads/list

Run boot_info_script-gawk.sh and boot_info_script-mawk-1.3.3.sh:
  sudo bash boot_info_script-gawk.sh RESULT-gawk.txt
  sudo bash boot_info_script-mawk-1.3.3.sh RESULT-mawk-1.3.3.txt

Compare the output files:
  diff -u RESULT-mawk-1.3.3.txt RESULT-gawk.txt

If you also have grub(2) or Syslinux installed, you will see something like this:

================================================================
@@ -269,30 +269,31 @@
 ========================== sda3/grldr embedded menu: ===========================

 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-p
-c
-d
-t
-
-tI also found tha
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
+pxe detect
+configfile
+default 0
+timeout 1
+
+title find /menu.lst, /boot/grub/menu.lst, /grub/menu.lst
+ errorcheck off
+ configfile /menu.lst || configfile /MENU.LST
+ configfile /boot/grub/menu.lst || configfile /BOOT/GRUB/MENU.LST
+ configfile /grub/menu.lst || configfile /GRUB/MENU.LST
+ find --set-root --ignore-floppies --ignore-cd /menu.lst && configfile /menu.lst
+ find --set-root --ignore-floppies --ignore-cd /boot/grub/menu.lst && configfile /boot/grub/menu.lst
+ find --set-root --ignore-floppies --ignore-cd /grub/menu.lst && configfile /grub/menu.lst
+ errorcheck on
+ commandline

-t
-
+title commandline
+ commandline

-t
-
+title reboot
+ reboot
+
+title halt
+ halt

-t
-

 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

@@ -300,16 +301,16 @@

            GiB - GB File Fragment(s)

- 5.718446419 = 6.140135088 boot/grub/core.img 1
- 4.713656705 = 5.061250348 boot/grub/grub.cfg 1
- 4.369430542 = 4.691640320 boot/initrd.img-2.6.35-22-generic 2
- 4.380689126 = 4.703729133 boot/initrd.img-2.6.35-24-generic 2
- 4.402975082 = 4.727658496 boot/initrd.img-2.6.35-25-generic 2
- 5.724097232 = 6.146202603 boot/vmlinuz-2.6.35-22-generic 1
- 5.750058217 = 6.174077998 boot/vmlinuz-2.6.35-24-generic 1
- 5.752313210 = 6.176499278 boot/vmlinuz-2.6.35-25-generic 1
- 4.402975082 = 4.727658496 initrd.img 2
- 4.380689126 = 4.703729133 initrd.img.old 2
- 5.752313210 = 6.176499278 vmlinuz 1
- 5.750058217 = 6.174077998 vmlinuz.old 1
+ 18.498229980 = 19.862323200 boot/grub/core.img 1
+ 8.435592651 = 9.057648640 boot/grub/grub.cfg 1
+ 4.988281250 = 5.356126208 boot/initrd.img-2.6.35-22-generic 2
+ 5.101032257 = 5.477191680 boot/initrd.img-2.6.35-24-generic 2
+ 5.324218750 = 5.716836352 boot/initrd.img-2.6.35-25-generic 2
+ 18.554821014 = 19.923087360 boot/vmlinuz-2.6.35-22-generic 1
+ 18.814811707 = 20.202250240 boot/vmlinuz-2.6.35-24-generic 1
+ 18.837394714 = 20.226498560 boot/vmlinuz-2.6.35-25-generic 1
+ 5.324218750 = 5.716836352 initrd.img 2
+ 5.101032257 = 5.477191680 initrd.img.old 2
+ 18.837394714 = 20.226498560 vmlinuz 1
+ 18.814811707 = 20.202250240 vmlinuz.old 1
================================================================

You will see that the embedded grub4dos config file is not extracted right (mawk -F '\0').
You can also notice that mawk 1.3.3 calculates the values of "GiB - GB" wrong.

I found a version of mawk, maintained by a new developer:
  http://invisible-island.net/mawk/

New mawk changelog (debian patches included + new things):
  http://invisible-island.net/mawk/CHANGES

When I compile this version of mawk and do:
  sed -e 's|gawk|/home/user/mawk-1.3.4-20100625/mawk|' boot_info_script-gawk.sh > boot_info_script-mawk-1.3.4.sh

  sudo bash boot_info_script-mawk-1.3.4.sh
  diff -u RESULT-mawk-1.3.4.txt RESULT-gawk.txt

The output of the mawk-1.3.4 and gawk version are exactly the same.

This new version of mawk probably solves a lot of the outstanding bugs on this list too.
Can the last version of mawk-1.3.4 be included in Ubuntu 11.04 and Ubuntu 10.10?

[Gert Hulselmans (hulselmansgert)]

The correct link for the Boot Info Script download is:

  wget -O boot_info_script.sh 'http://bootinfoscript.git.sourceforge.net/git/gitweb.cgi?p=bootinfoscript/bootinfoscript;a=blob_plain;f=boot_info_script.sh;hb=0c8e808eba272af5ef8b5f4df4654f350526d17b'

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.