Andreas <maps(dot)on(at)gmx(dot)net> writes:
> I've got an PG 8.4 on a opensuse box running.
> The DB is unicode german.
> There is a text column I'd like to order by but as far as I see PG
> ignores special chars and uses only characters and numbers.
This is driven by the locale you're using, specifically the LC_COLLATE
setting. If you want "plain ASCII" sort order, you need to switch to
C locale.
regards, tom lane