Received: from localhost (unknown [200.46.208.211]) by mail.postgresql.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id D85E76350A8 for ; Wed, 2 Sep 2009 21:59:32 -0300 (ADT) Received: from mail.postgresql.org ([200.46.204.86]) by localhost (mx1.hub.org [200.46.208.211]) (amavisd-maia, port 10024) with ESMTP id 63650-06 for ; Thu, 3 Sep 2009 00:59:20 +0000 (UTC) Received: from news.hub.org (news.hub.org [200.46.204.72]) by mail.postgresql.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 63043633D02 for ; Wed, 2 Sep 2009 21:59:22 -0300 (ADT) Received: from news.hub.org (news.hub.org [200.46.204.72]) by news.hub.org (8.14.3/8.14.3) with ESMTP id n830xGLM050947 for ; Wed, 2 Sep 2009 21:59:16 -0300 (ADT) (envelope-from news@news.hub.org) Received: (from news@localhost) by news.hub.org (8.14.3/8.14.3/Submit) id n830ohsR047422 for pgsql-sql@postgresql.org; Wed, 2 Sep 2009 21:50:43 -0300 (ADT) (envelope-from news) From: Lew X-Newsgroups: pgsql.sql Subject: Re: Odd sort behaviour Date: Wed, 02 Sep 2009 20:50:46 -0400 Organization: albasani.net Lines: 14 Message-ID: References: <4A9D8BC4.30906@gmail.com> <4A9DA0DD.7010606@gmail.com> <407d949e0909011604t4613ac5eue8bd8fa65e72abfb@mail.gmail.com> <4A9DACC5.3040504@gmail.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Complaints-To: abuse@albasani.net X-User-ID: rUCLUJzF2zNFdQYynk1GhHRVvabvpUUQtOFOrwkePDs= In-Reply-To: <4A9DACC5.3040504@gmail.com> Cancel-Lock: sha1:870QBi4q9Beo8AU8qwAlsdCSAbk= User-Agent: Thunderbird 2.0.0.23 (X11/20090817) X-NNTP-Posting-Host: IwcjlMAMNu0c8xnzaIBvlIWlzgsdxZU9GFVN26h8kJw= To: pgsql-sql@postgresql.org X-Virus-Scanned: Maia Mailguard 1.0.1 X-Spam-Status: No, hits=0.001 tagged_above=-10 required=5 tests=BAYES_50=0.001 X-Spam-Level: X-Archive-Number: 200909/19 X-Sequence-Number: 33084 Rob Sargent wrote: > I'm sure this a life-time's worth of discussion on the merits of > treating "." > as nothing when sorting.... Well, every sorted reference work in society at large seems to have a different idea of how to sort - just compare the phone book to the dictionary. That's the point of locales, to formalize such rules so that you can coerce your system to follow one or another set as needed. That way you don't have to agree or disagree with any rule, such as ignoring punctuation in the sort, simply be aware of whether it applies to any given situation. -- Lew