Man pages › Compared with Linux and the BSDs

`msgcat(1)` on Solnix vs Linux and the BSDs

msgcat is not in the base Solnix system: install pkgs.solnix.gettext to get GNU gettext-tools 0.22.5 msgcat. It is the same program as on Linux (gettext 1.0) and NetBSD (gettext 0.16.1), with a few newer options such as --color, --style and --lang.

The manual pages

Solnix: msgcat(1) from pkgs.solnix.gettext
Linux: msgcat(1) gettext-1.0
NetBSD: msgcat(1) 11.0

What Solnix runs

Not installed by default: add pkgs.solnix.gettext. The page documents GNU gettext-tools 0.22.5 (February 2024). No other illumos variants are shipped.

Differences

Compared with	Topic	What differs
Linux	same program	Solnix and Linux both document GNU gettext msgcat with the same synopsis and the same options. Solnix is gettext-tools 0.22.5 and Linux is gettext-tools 1.0. The option lists in the bundle are identical. Source: Solnix msgcat(1) SYNOPSIS, OPTIONS; Linux msgcat(1) SYNOPSIS, OPTIONS
NetBSD	`--color`, `--style`, `--lang` missing	The NetBSD page (gettext-tools 0.16.1) does not document `--color`[=WHEN], `--style=STYLEFILE` or `--lang=CATALOGNAME`. Solnix documents all three. A script using them on Solnix may fail on NetBSD. Source: Solnix msgcat(1) Output details (--lang, --color, --style); NetBSD msgcat(1) Output details
NetBSD	file positions with `--use-first`	The Solnix text says translations, comments, extracted comments and file positions are taken from the first PO file when `--use-first` is given. The NetBSD text says file positions from all PO files are cumulated. Source: Solnix msgcat(1) DESCRIPTION; NetBSD msgcat(1) DESCRIPTION
Linux, NetBSD	`--more-than` short option and `--less-than`	All three pages document -> / `--more-than` and -< / `--less-than`. The extracted Solnix flag list omits `--less-than`, but the page text documents it, as on Linux and NetBSD. The same defaults apply: infinite for `--less-than`, 0 for `--more-than`. Source: Solnix msgcat(1) Message selection; Linux msgcat(1) Message selection; NetBSD msgcat(1) Message selection
FreeBSD, OpenBSD	no counterpart page	The bundle has no FreeBSD or OpenBSD msgcat page. The manual does not say whether they ship the command. Install pkgs.solnix.gettext on Solnix, or equivalent GNU gettext tools elsewhere. Source: Bundle header (counterparts: linux, netbsd only)

Standards

POSIX: msgcat is not a POSIX.1-2024 utility.
Solnix: The page has no STANDARDS or ATTRIBUTES section.

Writing portable scripts

Avoid --color, --style and --lang if the script must run with older GNU gettext such as the 0.16.1 documented for NetBSD.
Pass explicit --no-wrap or -w and --no-location if you need identical output across gettext versions, since the pages do not say that output is byte-identical between versions.

Every difference here is taken from the manual pages linked above: Solnix's published page, Linux (man-pages and the GNU and util-linux manuals), FreeBSD, OpenBSD and NetBSD. Each row names its source. Where a manual is silent, this page is too. Compiled 2026-10-26. Found a mistake? Mail hackers@lists.solnix.io.