UNIX for Dummies Questions & Answers

#!/usr/bin/env bash

# @(#) s1	Demonstrate flexible sort utility, msort
# http://www.billposer.org/Software/msort.html

echo
set +o nounset
LC_ALL=C ; LANG=C ; export LC_ALL LANG
echo "Environment: LC_ALL = $LC_ALL, LANG = $LANG"
echo "(Versions displayed with local utility \"version\")"
version >/dev/null 2>&1 && version "=o" $(_eat $0 $1) msort
set -o nounset

FILE1=data1
FILE2=data2
echo "" > EMPTY

echo
echo " Data file $FILE1:"
cat $FILE1

echo
echo " Data file $FILE2:"
cat $FILE2

echo
echo " Results:"
cat $FILE2 EMPTY $FILE1 EMPTY |
msort -q -b -n1 -ct 

exit 0

% ./s1

Environment: LC_ALL = C, LANG = C
(Versions displayed with local utility "version")
OS, ker|rel, machine: Linux, 2.6.26-2-amd64, x86_64
Distribution        : Debian GNU/Linux 5.0 
GNU bash 3.2.39
msort - ( /usr/bin/msort Apr 24 2008 )

 Data file data1:
09:12:12 blah blah
0 blah blah
1 blah blah
2 blah blah

09:12:15 blah blah
0 blah blah
1 blah blah
2 blah blah

 Data file data2:
09:12:13 blah2
0 blah2
1 blah2
2 blah2

 Results:
09:12:12 blah blah
0 blah blah
1 blah blah
2 blah blah

09:12:13 blah2
0 blah2
1 blah2
2 blah2

09:12:15 blah blah
0 blah blah
1 blah blah
2 blah blah