From: Daniel DeLorme <dan-ml@...42.com>
Date: 2008-02-01T12:53:12+09:00
Subject: sprintf bug?

I've just stumbled across the following:

machine1$ ruby -ve 'printf("(%*-s)\n", 10,"hello")'
ruby 1.8.6 (2007-03-13 patchlevel 0) [i386-freebsd6]
(hello     )

machine2$ ruby -ve 'printf("(%*-s)\n", 10,"hello")'
ruby 1.8.6 (2007-09-24 patchlevel 111) [i386-freebsd6]
-e:1:in `printf': flag after width (ArgumentError)
         from -e:1

I can fix it by changing the pattern to "%-*s", but is that a bug in 
patchlevel 111 or is it a "bugfix" for a syntax that was never supposed 
to be valid? And if the second case, what is the point of making things 
more restrictive?

Daniel