#1108927 ps behaves weirdly when run under root with --sort=start_time -H

Package:
procps
Source:
procps
Description:
/proc file system utilities
Submitter:
Fourhundred Thecat
Date:
2025-07-18 14:01:02 UTC
Severity:
normal
#1108927#5
Date:
2025-07-08 04:22:58 UTC
From:
To:
on Debian 12, ps command behaves weirdly when run under root and when
combining options -H and --sort=start_time:

this works as expected and shows all my processes:

  /usr/bin/ps -e -H

but when I add --sort=start_time

  /usr/bin/ps -e --sort=start_time -H

it only shows init and 4 other daemons (in additin to the [kernel
threads] which are same in both cases):

    1 ?        00:00:02 init
  819 ?        00:00:00   rsyslogd
  869 ?        00:00:00   cron
  895 ?        00:00:00   dbus-daemon
  917 ?        00:00:00   slim
  921 tty7     00:00:37     Xorg


when I run same ps command as user, everything works fine
#1108927#10
Date:
2025-07-08 04:34:50 UTC
From:
To:
also, on Debian 10 with procps 2:3.3.15-2, everything works fine
#1108927#15
Date:
2025-07-14 20:47:42 UTC
From:
To:
This 4.0.2 behavior was corrected in release 4.0.5.

Here is some additional background:

https://gitlab.com/procps-ng/procps/-/issues/304

Regards,

jim
#1108927#20
Date:
2025-07-18 13:44:12 UTC
From:
To:
OK, thank you
how can I get release 4.0.5 on Debian 12 ?

 > This 4.0.2 behavior was corrected in release 4.0.5.
 > Here is some additional background:
 > https://gitlab.com/procps-ng/procps/-/issues/304
 > Regards,
 > jim