Install bsdconv with Homebrew

Project links

• Homepage

Commands and aliases

• bsdconv
• bsdconv-completion
• bsdconv-man
• bsdconv-mktable

Project history

The upstream README describes bsdconv as a buildable C project with module manuals, generated tables, aliases, and a command-line syntax that chains `from`, `inter`, and `to` conversion modules. The official API reference is published from the project at buganini.github.io/bsdconv.

Its examples reveal the project's practical origin: Big5, UTF-8, GB2312/CP936, Chinese traditional/simplified conversion, HTML entities, width counting, fuzzy comparison, and recovery from mis-decoding are central use cases rather than afterthoughts.

Adoption history

The provided package facts show bsdconv packaged by Homebrew. Upstream also documents bindings or integrations for Python, Perl, PHP, Ruby, Go, Java, Haskell, Elasticsearch, PostgreSQL, and MySQL, which suggests use as a library component as much as a standalone CLI.

This is not a broad mainstream text tool like iconv or recode. Its adoption signal is strongest where CJK legacy encodings, database migration, and application-specific conversion pipelines matter.

How it is used

The `bsdconv` command composes conversion stages with colon-separated modules, for example converting Big5 to simplified Chinese UTF-8, normalizing line endings, emitting HTML entities, or creating fuzzy comparison keys.

The project also ships helper commands such as `bsdconv-man` and `bsdconv-mktable`, matching its module/table-oriented design.

Why package nerds care

bsdconv matters to package nerds because it sits in the awkward gap between iconv-style charset conversion and application-specific text cleanup. Packaging it keeps an old but practical conversion toolbox available without forcing users to vendor C libraries or language bindings.

Its significance is narrow: it is a survival tool for messy text migrations, especially where East Asian encodings and Unicode edge cases meet databases.

Timeline

• 2010s: Upstream documentation and slides present bsdconv as a modular charset conversion library and CLI.
• 2010s: Language bindings and database integrations appear around the core library.
• 2026: Provided package facts show bsdconv available as a Homebrew formula.

Related projects

• iconv is the standard comparison point for charset conversion.
• GNU recode is an older adjacent text conversion tool.
• The upstream bindings connect bsdconv to Python, Perl, PHP, Ruby, Go, Java, Haskell, Elasticsearch, PostgreSQL, and MySQL ecosystems.

Sources

• https://buganini.github.io/bsdconv
• https://github.com/buganini/bsdconv
• https://raw.githubusercontent.com/buganini/bsdconv/master/README.md
• source_facts.package-manager