macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install unumlocal Homebrew formula metadata
brew / rank 13298
Install unum with Homebrew
Interconvert numbers, Unicode, and HTML/XHTML entities. Version 3.6-15.1.0 via Homebrew; verified 2026-06-22.
install
Additional install commands
overview
Package summary
Interconvert numbers, Unicode, and HTML/XHTML entities
Project links
Commands and aliases
- unum
history
Project history and usage
unum is a small Fourmilab command-line utility for interconverting decimal, octal, hexadecimal, binary, Unicode character data, and HTML/XHTML named or numeric character entities. Its history is tied less to a large ecosystem than to the long Unix tradition of keeping compact text and lookup tools on the command line.
Project history
John Walker published the Fourmilab unum page in February 2006. The page presents unum as a standalone portable Perl program that removes the need to manually consult Unicode tables, HTML entity references, and programmer calculators when preparing web documents or source text.
The utility remained maintained as Unicode and HTML entity data changed. The Fourmilab page lists multiple updates from 2017 through 2023 and identifies version 3.6-15.1.0 as released on October 21, 2023, with character tables based on Unicode 15.1.0.
Adoption history
unum appears in Homebrew as a niche developer utility rather than a broad platform tool. Its adoption story is mostly the durable packaging of a single-file Perl reference program for users who want Unicode and entity lookups available from a shell.
How it is used
The tool is used to answer questions such as converting code points between bases, finding the Unicode name for a character, looking up HTML entities, decoding UTF-8 byte sequences, and listing Unicode blocks. Fourmilab documents installation as placing the single unum.pl file somewhere on PATH, with Perl and optionally bunzip2 as the main runtime requirements.
Why package nerds care
For package-nerd workflows, unum is the kind of low-dependency utility that survives because it is scriptable, portable, and focused. It is useful when packaging documentation, terminals, web pages, or source files expose encoding details that are easier to inspect from a CLI than from a browser or GUI character map.
Timeline
- 2006: Fourmilab page published for unum.
- 2017-2023: Fourmilab page records periodic updates.
- 2023: Version 3.6-15.1.0 released with Unicode 15.1.0 tables.
Related projects
- Fourmilab documents unum alongside Unicode, HTML/XHTML character references, Perl, and W3C HTML entity data rather than as part of a larger suite.
Sources
- https://www.fourmilab.ch/webtools/unum/
- source_facts.package-manager.brew
security posture
Risk level: green
narrow executable package without higher-risk signals.
Risk classifier
green risk · low confidence · appliance
Why
- narrow executable package without higher-risk signals
Signals
- metadata:no-higher-risk-signals
Install behavior
- No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
- Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 1 platform targets.
- Build metadata lists 1 build dependencies.
Recommended review
Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.
executables
Installed executables
| Command | Kind | Exposure | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
unum | cli | global executable |
freshness
Version and freshness
These signals separate page generation age, package-manager activity, and upstream release comparison. Version lag is warned only when an evidence URL and comparable versions are present.
page generated2026-08-04
manager version3.6-15.1.0
manager updated2026-06-22
local dataok
upstreamnot checked
latest detectednot detected
https://www.fourmilab.ch/webtools/unum/
- infoRelease/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories.https://www.fourmilab.ch/webtools/unum/none confidence
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:unum |
|---|---|
| Version | 3.6-15.1.0 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Package manager page | https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/unum |
| Homepage | https://www.fourmilab.ch/webtools/unum/ |
| Upstream docs | https://www.fourmilab.ch/webtools/unum/ |
| License | Artistic-1.0-Perl OR GPL-1.0-or-later |
| Source archive | https://www.fourmilab.ch/webtools/unum/prior-releases/3.6-15.1.0/unum.tar.gz |
| Last updated | 2026-06-22T14:06:32-07:00 |
| Pulse | updated |
| Build dependencies | pod2man |
| Uses from macOS | perl |
| Bottle | available (on all) |
| Homebrew post-install | not defined |
| Service | none declared |
registry facts
Source database details
| Source Database | Homebrew formula API |
|---|---|
| Tap | homebrew/core |
| Full Name | unum |
| Version Scheme | 0 |
| Revision | 0 |
| Bottle Stable Root URL | https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core |
| Deprecated | no |
| Disabled | no |
| Keg Only | no |
| URL Keys |
|
source trail
Generated from repository data
This page is generated by av-web from the private package SQLite artifact built by scripts/generate-pkg-sqlite.py.
Combined YAML source
View the package source record on GitHub.
Used sources
- Geiger risk classifier
- cross-ecosystem install command graph
- curated package history
- package relationship graph
- package version freshness
- package-page enrichment
- pkg.so package database
- pkgdb category and tag curation