libslang2 2.0.5-1build2 does not properly handle multibyte characters

[Ethan Blanton]

Binary package hint: libslang2

A patch which Ubuntu applies to the Slang package breaks the SLutf8_skip_chars() function, causing it to incorrectly report the number of characters skipped. More details may be found in Debian bug #369152, along with a test case (thanks to Jörg Sommer):

http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=369152

In addition, in looking through the patches to Slang (of which there are several) I notice quite a few suspicious chunks of code and worrying comments; e.g. "/* XXX how this should work???? */", "/* HACK HACK!!!! */" followed by a conversion of tab to spaces, etc. Perhaps it is time for a review of the libslang2 patches.

This bug prevents navigation through files containing double-wide characters in the jed editor, and almost certainly affects other programs which use Slang. (Editing Japanese in jed with this bug is impossible.)

[Ethan Blanton (eblanton)]

This bug remains in Ubuntu Edgy, with libslang2 2.0.6-2.

[Ethan Blanton (eblanton)]

What more information is needed to remove this buggy patch? This bug has been identified and outstanding for some time now, and is still marked 'unconfirmed' in the tracker. I am willing to help get this resolved, if only someone tells me what needs to be done. (Simply removing the offending patch is an appropriate start.)

[Ethan Blanton (eblanton)]

This bug remains in Feisty beta, as of libslang2 2.0.6-4build1.

[Ethan Blanton (eblanton)]

This bug is fixed for Hardy, libslang2 2.1.3-2 does not display it. The offending patch has been removed.