bug#20936: suggestion for a 'wart-ish' extension off of 'sort'

[Linda Walsh]

I admit the ability to show a summary line might not bethe first
thing you'd think a pure-sorting utility might do, but it would be
awfully handy if sort had a 'Numeric sum' option ("-N" -- preferred
'-s', but it's already taken) to go with the -h sorting:

ala:
----
> du -sh *|sort -h|tail
6.0M    firmware
6.7M    kernel
8.4M    tools
26M     net
29M     sound
30M     Documentation
31M     include
37M     fs
128M    arch
330M    drivers

  --- vs. ---

> du -sh *|hsort -s|tail -12
6.0M    firmware
6.7M    kernel
8.4M    tools
26M     net
29M     sound
30M     Documentation
31M     include
37M     fs
128M    arch
330M    drivers
----    -----
649.4M  TOTAL

---
I'd donate the code for hsort, but its in perl --
I wrote it several years ago to do what 'sort -h' does, but
also put in the option for a summary line -- handy companion
for 'human numbers', which would otherwise take alot more
typing (I think -- unless there's some hidden switch I don't know
about).