These also fail
> sort +1 -n /tmp/trash
sort: open failed: +1: No such file or directory
> sort +1 -n < /tmp/trash
" "

The above commands fail in linux, but not Solaris.

> uname -a
Linux bogushost 2.6.18-128.1.1.el5 #1 SMP Mon Jan 26 13:58:24 EST 2009 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux

> which sort
/bin/sort

> alias sort
sort: alias not found

> cat /tmp/trash
Greg 54646
Fred 47848

I'm most interested in getting the syntax in the Subject: to work.
I want to sort numerically on the 2nd column. I read that sort uses tmp space, so I set $TMP and $TMPDIR to /tmp, which exists and is writable, no joy.

Thanks.

Hi, welcome to LQ!

That's because Solaris accepts the old deprecated syntax.

Use -k 2 instead of +1


and cat on one file is mote:

sort -k2,2n file > newfile