--- orig/coreutils-7.2/src/sort.c	2009-03-29 13:44:10.000000000 -0400
+++ coreutils-7.2/src/sort.c	2009-04-25 04:46:06.000000000 -0400
@@ -176,6 +176,8 @@
   bool random;			/* Sort by random hash of key.  */
   bool general_numeric;		/* Flag for general, numeric comparison.
 				   Handle numbers in exponential notation. */
+  bool human_numeric;           /* Flag for sorting by human readable 
+                                   units with either SI or IEC prefixes */
   bool month;			/* Flag for comparison by month name. */
   bool reverse;			/* Reverse the sense of comparison. */
   bool version;			/* sort by version number */
@@ -336,6 +338,10 @@
   -i, --ignore-nonprinting    consider only printable characters\n\
   -M, --month-sort            compare (unknown) < `JAN' < ... < `DEC'\n\
 "), stdout);
+      fputs(_("\
+  -h, --human-numeric-sort    compare string numerical values ending in units\n\
+                              prefixed with either SI xor IEC prefixes\n\
+"), stdout);
       fputs (_("\
   -n, --numeric-sort          compare according to string numerical value\n\
   -R, --random-sort           sort by random hash of keys\n\
@@ -426,7 +432,7 @@
   SORT_OPTION
 };
 
-static char const short_options[] = "-bcCdfgik:mMno:rRsS:t:T:uVy:z";
+static char const short_options[] = "-bcCdfghik:mMno:rRsS:t:T:uVy:z";
 
 static struct option const long_options[] =
 {
@@ -442,6 +448,7 @@
   {"merge", no_argument, NULL, 'm'},
   {"month-sort", no_argument, NULL, 'M'},
   {"numeric-sort", no_argument, NULL, 'n'},
+  {"human-numeric-sort", no_argument, NULL, 'h'},
   {"version-sort", no_argument, NULL, 'V'},
   {"random-sort", no_argument, NULL, 'R'},
   {"random-source", required_argument, NULL, RANDOM_SOURCE_OPTION},
@@ -1673,6 +1680,57 @@
   return strnumcmp (a, b, decimal_point, thousands_sep);
 }
 
+/* error if a mixture of SI and IEC units used.  */
+static void
+check_mixed_SI_IEC (char prefix)
+{
+  static int seen_si = -1;
+  bool si_present = prefix == 'i';
+  if (seen_si != -1 && seen_si != si_present)
+    error (SORT_FAILURE, 0, _("Both SI and IEC prefixes present on units"));
+  seen_si = si_present;
+}
+
+/* Compare numbers ending in units with SI xor IEC prefixes
+          <none/unknown> < K < M < G < T < P < E < Z < Y
+   Assume that numbers are properly abbreviated.
+   i.e. input will never have 5000K instead of 5M
+*/
+static int
+human_compare(const char *a, const char *b)
+{
+  static const char weights [UCHAR_LIM] = {
+    ['K']=1, ['M']=2, ['G']=3, ['T']=4, ['P']=5, ['E']=6, ['Z']=7, ['Y']=8,
+    ['k']=1,
+  };
+  
+  while (blanks[to_uchar (*a)])
+    a++;
+  while (blanks[to_uchar (*b)])
+    b++;
+  
+  const char *ar = a;
+  const char *br = b;
+  
+  while( ISDIGIT (*ar) || (*ar) == decimal_point || (*ar) == thousands_sep )
+    ar++;
+  while( ISDIGIT (*br) || (*br) == decimal_point || (*br) == thousands_sep )
+    br++;
+  
+  if( *ar )
+    check_mixed_SI_IEC (*(ar+1));
+  
+  if( *br )
+    check_mixed_SI_IEC (*(br+1));
+  
+  int aw = weights[to_uchar (*ar)];
+  int bw = weights[to_uchar (*br)];
+  
+  return (aw > bw ? 1
+          : aw < bw ? -1
+          : strnumcmp ( a , b , decimal_point , thousands_sep));
+}
+
 static int
 general_numcompare (const char *sa, const char *sb)
 {
@@ -1917,13 +1975,14 @@
 
       if (key->random)
 	diff = compare_random (texta, lena, textb, lenb);
-      else if (key->numeric | key->general_numeric)
+      else if (key->numeric | key->general_numeric | key->human_numeric)
 	{
 	  char savea = *lima, saveb = *limb;
 
 	  *lima = *limb = '\0';
-	  diff = ((key->numeric ? numcompare : general_numcompare)
-		  (texta, textb));
+	  diff = ((key->numeric ? numcompare
+		   : key->general_numeric ? general_numcompare
+		   : human_compare) (texta, textb));
 	  *lima = savea, *limb = saveb;
 	}
       else if (key->version)
@@ -2887,7 +2946,7 @@
 
   for (key = keylist; key; key = key->next)
     if ((1 < (key->random + key->numeric + key->general_numeric + key->month
-	      + key->version + !!key->ignore))
+	      + key->version + (!!key->ignore) + key->human_numeric))
 	|| (key->random && key->translate))
       {
 	/* The following is too big, but guaranteed to be "big enough". */
@@ -2899,6 +2958,8 @@
 	  *p++ = 'f';
 	if (key->general_numeric)
 	  *p++ = 'g';
+        if (key->human_numeric)
+          *p++ = 'h';
 	if (key->ignore == nonprinting)
 	  *p++ = 'i';
 	if (key->month)
@@ -2990,6 +3051,9 @@
 	case 'g':
 	  key->general_numeric = true;
 	  break;
+        case 'h':
+          key->human_numeric = true;
+          break;
 	case 'i':
 	  /* Option order should not matter, so don't let -i override
 	     -d.  -d implies -i, but -i does not imply -d.  */
@@ -3138,7 +3202,8 @@
   gkey.sword = gkey.eword = SIZE_MAX;
   gkey.ignore = NULL;
   gkey.translate = NULL;
-  gkey.numeric = gkey.general_numeric = gkey.random = gkey.version = false;
+  gkey.numeric = gkey.general_numeric = gkey.human_numeric = false;
+  gkey.random = gkey.version = false;
   gkey.month = gkey.reverse = false;
   gkey.skipsblanks = gkey.skipeblanks = false;
 
@@ -3217,6 +3282,7 @@
 	case 'd':
 	case 'f':
 	case 'g':
+        case 'h':
 	case 'i':
 	case 'M':
 	case 'n':
@@ -3469,6 +3535,7 @@
 		 | key->numeric
 		 | key->version
 		 | key->general_numeric
+                 | key->human_numeric
 		 | key->random)))
         {
           key->ignore = gkey.ignore;
@@ -3478,6 +3545,7 @@
           key->month = gkey.month;
           key->numeric = gkey.numeric;
           key->general_numeric = gkey.general_numeric;
+          key->human_numeric = gkey.human_numeric;
           key->random = gkey.random;
           key->reverse = gkey.reverse;
           key->version = gkey.version;
@@ -3493,6 +3561,7 @@
 		       | gkey.month
 		       | gkey.numeric
 		       | gkey.general_numeric
+                       | gkey.human_numeric
 		       | gkey.random
 		       | gkey.version)))
     {