The default is "huge_pages = try" which is commented out in the "postgresql.conf.sample" file. When a consumer like myself turns it off in the standard "postgresql.conf" file, it should not be turned on when initdb runs. There is no way to turn it off without altering the sample config file.
Right, the present way to control what is seen by initdb is postgresql.conf.sample since that is the template that initdb uses to then produce an actual postgresql.conf for the newly created instance. postgresql.conf is only ever a per-instance configuration file. It doesn't make sense to "change postgresql.conf in hopes of influencing some future initdb run."
