Man pages › Compared with Linux and the BSDs

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

msgexec is not in the Solnix base system; install pkgs.solnix.gettext to get GNU gettext-tools msgexec. The Solnix page matches the Linux page, and the one option the NetBSD page lacks is --newline.

The manual pages

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

What Solnix runs

Not installed by default: add pkgs.solnix.gettext. The published page is for 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 document the same GNU msgexec with the same synopsis and options. The Solnix page is gettext-tools 0.22.5 and the Linux page is gettext-tools 1.0. The text differs only in line wrapping and the version footer. Source: Solnix msgexec(1) SYNOPSIS, OPTIONS; Linux msgexec(1) SYNOPSIS, OPTIONS; page footers
NetBSD	`--newline` missing from NetBSD page	Solnix and Linux document `--newline` (add newline at the end of input) under 'Command input'. The NetBSD page has no such section or option. Do not rely on `--newline` on NetBSD without checking the installed tool. Source: Solnix msgexec(1) Command input --newline; Linux msgexec(1) Command input --newline; NetBSD msgexec(1) OPTIONS
NetBSD	older gettext version	The NetBSD page is for GNU gettext-tools 0.16.1 (November 2006). The Solnix page is for 0.22.5 (February 2024). The manual does not say what else changed between those versions. Source: NetBSD msgexec(1) footer; Solnix msgexec(1) footer
Linux, NetBSD	availability	Solnix does not ship msgexec on PATH by default; it comes only from pkgs.solnix.gettext. The bundle does not say whether Linux or NetBSD install it by default. Source: Solnix bundle header (none: install pkgs.solnix.gettext); Linux and NetBSD msgexec(1) NAME
all four	builtin command '0'	On Solnix, Linux and NetBSD, the builtin command '0' prints each translation followed by a null byte, for use with xargs `-0`. The return code is the maximum across all invocations of COMMAND. Source: Solnix, Linux and NetBSD msgexec(1) DESCRIPTION

Standards

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

Writing portable scripts

Do not use --newline in scripts that must run on NetBSD; its page does not document it. Pipe through another command to add a newline instead.
Install pkgs.solnix.gettext before calling msgexec in a Solnix script, and check with command -v msgexec.

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.