[Bug 1793350] [NEW] column error if no trailing newline

[Patrick Gray]

Public bug reported:

The utility ``column`` gives the error ``column: line too long``, and
does not produce the correct output, when given an input without a
trailing newline:

$ python3 -c "print('a\nb\nc')" | column
a	b	c
$ python3 -c "print('a\nb\nc', end='')" | column
column: line too long
a	b
$

This seems to be a bug, as it is not the case on my Manjaro laptop,
which uses the column utility from pacman's util-linux package:

$ python3 -c "print('a\nb\nc')" | column
a	b	c
$ python3 -c "print('a\nb\nc', end='')" | column
a	b	c
$ pacman -Qo column
/usr/bin/column is owned by util-linux 2.32.1-2

Building the util-linux on ubuntu similarly gives what would appear to
be correct behaviour:

$ make column > /dev/null
$ python3 -c "print('a\nb\nc', end='')" | ./column 
a	b	c
$


System / package information:

$ lsb_release -rd
Description:	Ubuntu 18.04.1 LTS
Release:	18.04
$ apt-cache policy bsdmainutils
bsdmainutils:
  Installed: 11.1.2ubuntu1
  Candidate: 11.1.2ubuntu1
  Version table:
 *** 11.1.2ubuntu1 500
        500 http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu bionic/main amd64 Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status

** Affects: bsdmainutils (Ubuntu)
     Importance: Undecided
         Status: New

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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1793350

Title:
  column error if no trailing newline

Status in bsdmainutils package in Ubuntu:
  New

Bug description:
  The utility ``column`` gives the error ``column: line too long``, and
  does not produce the correct output, when given an input without a
  trailing newline:

  $ python3 -c "print('a\nb\nc')" | column
  a	b	c
  $ python3 -c "print('a\nb\nc', end='')" | column
  column: line too long
  a	b
  $

  This seems to be a bug, as it is not the case on my Manjaro laptop,
  which uses the column utility from pacman's util-linux package:

  $ python3 -c "print('a\nb\nc')" | column
  a	b	c
  $ python3 -c "print('a\nb\nc', end='')" | column
  a	b	c
  $ pacman -Qo column
  /usr/bin/column is owned by util-linux 2.32.1-2

  Building the util-linux on ubuntu similarly gives what would appear to
  be correct behaviour:

  $ make column > /dev/null
  $ python3 -c "print('a\nb\nc', end='')" | ./column 
  a	b	c
  $

  
  System / package information:

  $ lsb_release -rd
  Description:	Ubuntu 18.04.1 LTS
  Release:	18.04
  $ apt-cache policy bsdmainutils
  bsdmainutils:
    Installed: 11.1.2ubuntu1
    Candidate: 11.1.2ubuntu1
    Version table:
   *** 11.1.2ubuntu1 500
          500 http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu bionic/main amd64 Packages
          100 /var/lib/dpkg/status

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