Task: Burrows–Wheeler transform
C: #include <string.h>
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>

const char STX = '\002', ETX = '\003';

int compareStrings(const void *a, const void *b) {
    char *aa = *(char **)a;
    char *bb = *(char **)b;
    return strcmp(aa, bb);
}

int bwt(const char *s, char r[]) {
    int i, len = strlen(s) + 2;
    char *ss, *str;
    char **table;
    if (strchr(s, STX) || strchr(s, ETX)) return 1;
    ss = calloc(len + 1, sizeof(char));
    sprintf(ss, "%c%s%c", STX, s, ETX);
    table = malloc(len * sizeof(const char *));
    for (i = 0; i < len; ++i) {
        str = calloc(len + 1, sizeof(char));
        strcpy(str, ss + i);
        if (i > 0) strncat(str, ss, i);
        table[i] = str;
    }
    qsort(table, len, sizeof(const char *), compareStrings);
    for(i = 0; i < len; ++i) {
        r[i] = table[i][len - 1];
        free(table[i]);
    }
    free(table);
    free(ss);
    return 0;
}

void ibwt(const char *r, char s[]) {
    int i, j, len = strlen(r);
    char **table = malloc(len * sizeof(const char *));
    for (i = 0; i < len; ++i) table[i] = calloc(len + 1, sizeof(char));
    for (i = 0; i < len; ++i) {
        for (j = 0; j < len; ++j) {                        
            memmove(table[j] + 1, table[j], len);
            table[j][0] = r[j];
        }
        qsort(table, len, sizeof(const char *), compareStrings);
    }
    for (i = 0; i < len; ++i) {
        if (table[i][len - 1] == ETX) {
            strncpy(s, table[i] + 1, len - 2);
            break;
        }
    }
    for (i = 0; i < len; ++i) free(table[i]);
    free(table);
}

void makePrintable(const char *s, char t[]) {
    strcpy(t, s);
    for ( ; *t != '\0'; ++t) {
        if (*t == STX) *t = '^';
        else if (*t == ETX) *t = '|';
    }
}

int main() {
    int i, res, len;
    char *tests[6], *t, *r, *s;
    tests[0] = "banana";
    tests[1] = "appellee";
    tests[2] = "dogwood";
    tests[3] = "TO BE OR NOT TO BE OR WANT TO BE OR NOT?";
    tests[4] = "SIX.MIXED.PIXIES.SIFT.SIXTY.PIXIE.DUST.BOXES",
    tests[5] = "\002ABC\003";
    for (i = 0; i < 6; ++i) {
        len = strlen(tests[i]);
        t = calloc(len + 1, sizeof(char));
        makePrintable(tests[i], t);
        printf("%s\n", t);
        printf(" --> ");
        r = calloc(len + 3, sizeof(char));
        res = bwt(tests[i], r);
        if (res == 1) {
            printf("ERROR: String can't contain STX or ETX\n");
        }
        else {
            makePrintable(r, t);
            printf("%s\n", t);
        }
        s = calloc(len + 1, sizeof(char));
        ibwt(r, s);
        makePrintable(s, t);
        printf(" --> %s\n\n", t);
        free(t);
        free(r);
        free(s);
    }
    return 0;
}

Java: import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.List;

public class BWT {
    private static final String STX = "\u0002";
    private static final String ETX = "\u0003";

    private static String bwt(String s) {
        if (s.contains(STX) || s.contains(ETX)) {
            throw new IllegalArgumentException("String cannot contain STX or ETX");
        }

        String ss = STX + s + ETX;
        List<String> table = new ArrayList<>();
        for (int i = 0; i < ss.length(); i++) {
            String before = ss.substring(i);
            String after = ss.substring(0, i);
            table.add(before + after);
        }
        table.sort(String::compareTo);

        StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder();
        for (String str : table) {
            sb.append(str.charAt(str.length() - 1));
        }
        return sb.toString();
    }

    private static String ibwt(String r) {
        int len = r.length();
        List<String> table = new ArrayList<>();
        for (int i = 0; i < len; ++i) {
            table.add("");
        }
        for (int j = 0; j < len; ++j) {
            for (int i = 0; i < len; ++i) {
                table.set(i, r.charAt(i) + table.get(i));
            }
            table.sort(String::compareTo);
        }
        for (String row : table) {
            if (row.endsWith(ETX)) {
                return row.substring(1, len - 1);
            }
        }
        return "";
    }

    private static String makePrintable(String s) {
        
        return s.replace(STX, "^").replace(ETX, "|");
    }

    public static void main(String[] args) {
        List<String> tests = List.of(
            "banana",
            "appellee",
            "dogwood",
            "TO BE OR NOT TO BE OR WANT TO BE OR NOT?",
            "SIX.MIXED.PIXIES.SIFT.SIXTY.PIXIE.DUST.BOXES",
            "\u0002ABC\u0003"
        );
        for (String test : tests) {
            System.out.println(makePrintable(test));
            System.out.print(" --> ");
            String t = "";
            try {
                t = bwt(test);
                System.out.println(makePrintable(t));
            } catch (IllegalArgumentException e) {
                System.out.println("ERROR: " + e.getMessage());
            }
            String r = ibwt(t);
            System.out.printf(" --> %s\n\n", r);
        }
    }
}