diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 58ffea6c6..1e2d25bb9 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -1,35 +1,10 @@
 #
 # sort with: bin/sgi.sh
+._.DS_Store
 2024
 .DS_Store
 /NOTES
-/archive/historic/1984
-/archive/historic/1985
-/archive/historic/1986
-/archive/historic/1987
-/archive/historic/1988
-/archive/historic/1989
-/archive/historic/1990
-/archive/historic/1991
-/archive/historic/1992
-/archive/historic/1993
-/archive/historic/1994
-/archive/historic/1995
-/archive/historic/1996
-/archive/historic/1998
-/archive/historic/2000
-/archive/historic/2001
-/archive/historic/2004
-/archive/historic/2005
-/archive/historic/2006
-/archive/historic/2011
-/archive/historic/2012
-/archive/historic/2013
-/archive/historic/2014
-/archive/historic/2015
-/archive/historic/2018
-/archive/historic/2019
-/archive/historic/2020
+/archive/historic/[12][0-9][0-9][0-9]
 .auth.json
 author_wins.csv
 author_wins.numbers
diff --git a/2004/hibachi/.gitignore b/2004/hibachi/.gitignore
index 46f0de5a3..c34844d8d 100644
--- a/2004/hibachi/.gitignore
+++ b/2004/hibachi/.gitignore
@@ -8,14 +8,14 @@ indent
 indent.c
 indent.o
 prog.orig
-src/config.log
-src/config.status
-src/hibachi
-src/hibachi.c
-src/makefile
 src-alt/config.log
 src-alt/config.status
 src-alt/hibachi
 src-alt/hibachi.alt
 src-alt/hibachi.alt.c
 src-alt/makefile
+src/config.log
+src/config.status
+src/hibachi
+src/hibachi.c
+src/makefile
diff --git a/2005/mynx/.gitignore b/2005/mynx/.gitignore
index c11967e82..626fbbe43 100644
--- a/2005/mynx/.gitignore
+++ b/2005/mynx/.gitignore
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ mynx.alt
 mynx.alt2
 mynx.orig
 prog.orig
-source/config.*
-source/makefile
 source-alt/config.*
 source-alt/makefile
+source/config.*
+source/makefile
diff --git a/2011/vik/.gitignore b/2011/vik/.gitignore
index 172ea5777..674828636 100644
--- a/2011/vik/.gitignore
+++ b/2011/vik/.gitignore
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-
 #
 # sort with: ../../bin/sgi.sh
 *.dSYM
diff --git a/2013/dlowe/.gitignore b/2013/dlowe/.gitignore
index 1331ecb95..4b9c47394 100644
--- a/2013/dlowe/.gitignore
+++ b/2013/dlowe/.gitignore
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 #
 # sort with: ../../bin/sgi.sh
-1.txt
 *.dSYM
+1.txt
 2.txt
 dlowe
 dlowe.orig
diff --git a/2020/otterness/.gitignore b/2020/otterness/.gitignore
index 454f4b5d8..36aad4719 100644
--- a/2020/otterness/.gitignore
+++ b/2020/otterness/.gitignore
@@ -2,11 +2,11 @@
 # sort with: ../../bin/sgi.sh
 *.dSYM
 *.mid
+!cvikl.mid
+!entertainer.mid
 indent
 indent.c
 indent.o
 prog
 prog.alt
 prog.orig
-!cvikl.mid
-!entertainer.mid
diff --git a/bin/sgi.sh b/bin/sgi.sh
index 72b200152..9c4285833 100755
--- a/bin/sgi.sh
+++ b/bin/sgi.sh
@@ -1,11 +1,16 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env bash
 #
-# sgi.sh - sort .gitignore content from stdin to stdout
+# sgi.sh - sort .gitignore canonically from stdin to stdout
 #
-# We sort with lines starting with # first.
-# We sort with lines starting with * second.
-# We sort with lines that do not start with [#!*] third.
-# We sort with lines starting with ! fourth.
+# We canonicalize .gitignore lines as follows:
+#
+# We print lines # in the order they appear, 1st.
+# We dictionary sort with lines starting with * 2nd.
+# We dictionary sort with lines starting with ! 3rd.
+# We dictionary sort with lines starting with / 4th.
+# We dictionary sort all other lines 5th.
+#
+# For each step past the 1st step, we remove duplicate lines.
 #
 # Example usage in vim with a keyboard macro <escape>f:
 #
@@ -47,8 +52,58 @@
 # Share and enjoy! :-)
 
 
-# sort .gitignore content on stdin to stdout
+# load stdin into a temporary gitignore file
 #
-sed -e '/^#/s/.*/0 &/' -e '/^*/s/.*/1 &/' -e '/^[^01*!]/s/.*/2 &/' -e '/^!/s/.*/3 &/' |
-    LC_ALL=C sort -u -k 1n -k 2d |
-    sed 's/[0123] //'
+export VERSION="1.2 2024-09-05"
+NAME=$(basename "$0")
+export NAME
+export TMP_GITIGNORE=".tmp.$NAME.GITIGNORE.$$.tmp"
+trap 'rm -f $TMP_GITIGNORE; exit' 0 1 2 3 15
+rm -f "$TMP_GITIGNORE"
+if [[ -e $TMP_GITIGNORE ]]; then
+    echo "$0: ERROR: cannot remove temporary gitignore file: $TMP_GITIGNORE" 1>&2
+    exit 10
+fi
+cat > "$TMP_GITIGNORE"
+if [[ ! -e $TMP_GITIGNORE ]]; then
+    echo "$0: ERROR: cannot create temporary gitignore file: $TMP_GITIGNORE" 1>&2
+    exit 11
+fi
+
+
+# step 0: print .gitignore comment lines in order
+#
+grep '^#' "$TMP_GITIGNORE"
+
+
+# print unique lines from the following 5 steps to stdout
+#
+# These 5 types of .gitignore lines are printed in
+# step order as part of our .gitignore canonization.
+#
+{
+    # step 1: print * lines, sorted by dictionary
+    #
+    grep '^\*' "$TMP_GITIGNORE" | LC_ALL=C sort -d
+
+    # step 2: print ! lines, sorted by dictionary
+    #
+    grep '^!' "$TMP_GITIGNORE" | LC_ALL=C sort -d
+
+    # step 3: print . lines, sorted by dictionary
+    #
+    grep '^\.' "$TMP_GITIGNORE" | LC_ALL=C sort -d
+
+    # step 4: print / lines, sorted by dictionary
+    #
+    grep '^/' "$TMP_GITIGNORE" | LC_ALL=C sort -d
+
+    # step 5: print all other lines, sorted by dictionary
+    #
+    grep '^[^#*!./]' "$TMP_GITIGNORE" | LC_ALL=C sort -d
+} | uniq
+
+
+# All Done!!! All Done!!! -- Jessica Noll, Age 2
+#
+exit 0
diff --git a/bin/sort.gitignore.sh b/bin/sort.gitignore.sh
index 87c095db8..c92476d13 100755
--- a/bin/sort.gitignore.sh
+++ b/bin/sort.gitignore.sh
@@ -101,7 +101,7 @@ shopt -s globstar	# enable ** to match all files and zero or more directories an
 
 # set variables referenced in the usage message
 #
-export VERSION="1.1.8 2024-07-28"
+export VERSION="1.2 2024-09-05"
 NAME=$(basename "$0")
 export NAME
 export V_FLAG=0
@@ -272,15 +272,15 @@ export BIN_DIR="bin"
 # verify that the bin/sgi.sh tool is executable
 #
 export SGI_TOOL="$BIN_DIR/sgi.sh"
-if [[ ! -e $SGI_TOOL.sh ]]; then
+if [[ ! -e $SGI_TOOL ]]; then
     echo  "$0: ERROR: bin/sgi.sh does not exist: $SGI_TOOL.sh" 1>&2
     exit 5
 fi
-if [[ ! -f $SGI_TOOL.sh ]]; then
+if [[ ! -f $SGI_TOOL ]]; then
     echo  "$0: ERROR: bin/sgi.sh is not a regular file: $SGI_TOOL.sh" 1>&2
     exit 5
 fi
-if [[ ! -x $SGI_TOOL.sh ]]; then
+if [[ ! -x $SGI_TOOL ]]; then
     echo  "$0: ERROR: bin/sgi.sh is not an executable file: $SGI_TOOL.sh" 1>&2
     exit 5
 fi