Re: Feature Request: numfmt input type defaults to 'auto' instead of 'none'

[Pádraig Brady]

On 22/08/2024 03:51, Oliver Webb wrote:
> Hello, first I'd like to say thanks for the GNU coreutils.
>
> When trying to parse numbers with `numfmt`, I noticed
> that the input type was 'none' by default. This makes
> converting to other formats harder since you have to
> specify `--from`. Changing it's default input type to
> `auto` wouldn't break compatibility and would allow quick
> conversion from SI/IEC-I formats to other ones.
>
> Best Regards,
>
> -   Oliver Webb <aquahobbyist@proton.me>

It's a fair request, but one of those 50:50 decisions.
If we defaulted to auto then users may overlook the
fact that K and G etc. in the input were converted
in powers of 10 rather than powers of 2.

Making users select the input format explicitly,
avoids this common ambiguity.

cheers,
Pádraig