Man pages › Compared with Linux and the BSDs

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

msgcmp is the GNU gettext tool that checks a translated .po file against a .pot template. It is not in the Solnix base system: install pkgs.solnix.gettext. The Solnix page is gettext-tools 0.22.5, the same program as on Linux (1.0) and NetBSD (0.16.1), and the only option difference in the bundle is that the NetBSD page has no -N.

The manual pages

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

What Solnix runs

Not installed by default: add pkgs.solnix.gettext. The bundle lists no other illumos variant, and no illumos msgcmp text, so there is nothing to compare against a base-system command.

Differences

Compared with	Topic	What differs
Linux	same program	Solnix and Linux both document GNU gettext-tools msgcmp with the same synopsis and the same options. The Solnix page is from 0.22.5 and the Linux page from 1.0. The option lists in the bundle are identical. Source: Solnix msgcmp(1) SYNOPSIS, OPTIONS; Linux msgcmp(1) SYNOPSIS, OPTIONS
NetBSD	`-N` / `--no-fuzzy-matching` missing	The NetBSD page (gettext-tools 0.16.1) documents no `-N` or `--no-fuzzy-matching`. Solnix and Linux document it as turning off fuzzy matching, which is used by default to produce better diagnostics. A script using `-N` may fail on NetBSD. Source: Solnix msgcmp(1) Operation modifiers -N; Linux msgcmp(1) -N; NetBSD msgcmp(1) Operation modifiers
NetBSD	version gap	The NetBSD page is gettext-tools 0.16.1 (November 2006). Solnix is 0.22.5 (February 2024). The manual lists no other behavioural differences, but options added between those releases may be missing on NetBSD. Source: NetBSD msgcmp(1) footer; Solnix msgcmp(1) footer
Linux, NetBSD	availability	The Linux and NetBSD pages are given as installed manuals, with no package step. On Solnix, msgcmp is not on PATH by default and must be installed from pkgs.solnix.gettext. Source: Header: none: install pkgs.solnix.gettext; Linux msgcmp(1); NetBSD msgcmp(1)
FreeBSD, OpenBSD	no counterpart page	The bundle has no FreeBSD or OpenBSD msgcmp page, so the manual cannot be used to say whether those systems have the command or which options it takes. Source: Header COUNTERPART lines list only linux and netbsd

Standards

POSIX: msgcmp is not a POSIX.1-2024 utility.

Writing portable scripts

Do not rely on -N / --no-fuzzy-matching if the script must run with older GNU gettext such as the 0.16.1 documented for NetBSD.
Do not assume msgcmp exists on a Solnix host: install pkgs.solnix.gettext first, or check for it with command -v.

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.