BOGOSORT

bogosort − sorts or doesn’t sort files or standard input

bogosort [options] [files]

bogosort sorts files or its standard input using the bogo-sort algorithm. (I won’t even bother to dream up some bogus advantages here.)

If any files are given input is taken from files in stead of standard input.

It can also just randomise the lines in its input, allowing you to perform your own check in a loop.

bogosort accepts the following options:

-n, --nosort

Don’t check if the output is sorted, just exit after permuting the lines once.

-r, --norandom

If configured with support for /dev/(u)random don’t try to read /dev/(u)random for seeding rand, ignored otherwise.

-s, --seed number

Use number to seed rand.

-o, --output name

Write output to name instead of standard output.

-h, --help

Show summary of options.

-v, --verbose

Output a ‘.’ (dot) to standard error for each permutation of the lines, and send some non critical error messages to standard error.

-V, --version

Show version of program.

The following section is taken from the Jargon File.

...The archetypical perversely awful algorithm (as opposed to bubble sort, which is merely the generic bad algorithm). Bogo-sort is equivalent to repeatedly throwing a deck of cards in the air, picking them up at random, and then testing whether they are in order. It serves as a sort of canonical example of awfulness. Looking at a program and seeing a dumb algorithm, one might say “Oh, I see, this program uses bogo-sort.” Esp. appropriate for algorithms with factorial or super-exponential running time in the average case and probabilistically infinite worst-case running time. Compare bogus, brute force, lasherism...

This program is intentionally bogus.

sort(1), Jargon File <http://catb.org/~esr/jargon/>.

Ulrik Haugen <qha@lysator.liu.se>.