Return-Path: Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id ; Thu, 20 Dec 2001 14:44:09 -0500 Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org id ; Thu, 20 Dec 2001 14:43:50 -0500 Received: from khan.acc.umu.se ([130.239.18.139]:5072 "EHLO khan.acc.umu.se") by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id ; Thu, 20 Dec 2001 14:43:44 -0500 Date: Thu, 20 Dec 2001 20:43:26 +0100 From: David Weinehall To: Nicholas Knight Cc: Dana Lacoste , "'Matt Bernstein'" , Steven Cole , esr@thyrsus.com, linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Subject: Re: Changing KB, MB, and GB to KiB, MiB, and GiB in Configure.hel p. Message-ID: <20011220204326.D5235@khan.acc.umu.se> In-Reply-To: Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Disposition: inline User-Agent: Mutt/1.2.4i In-Reply-To: ; from nknight@pocketinet.com on Thu, Dec 20, 2001 at 11:13:52AM -0800 Sender: linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org X-Mailing-List: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org On Thu, Dec 20, 2001 at 11:13:52AM -0800, Nicholas Knight wrote: > On Thursday 20 December 2001 10:36 am, Dana Lacoste wrote: > > > I believe that the main purpose of documentation, help etc is > > > to get the > > > information across in a way that is most easily understood, ie that > > > minimises the number of support questions.. ..and everyone > > > surely knows > > > what GB, MB and KB stand for. So let's leave it at that. > > > Where's the "i" > > > in "megabyte" ? Or is 1MiB 1000000 bytes, rather than 1048576? > > > > 1 MB isn't 1048576. > > > > it's 1000000 > > > > mega isn't 2^10, it's 10^6 > > > > so where are YOU coming from? > > > > (no, i'm not arguin, i don't particularly care. but i'm > > pointing out that some people have completely firmly set > > definitions and some other people also have firm definitions > > and neither will agree the other's right. MiB is the international > > standard for a 2^10 B(yte) specification. so if you mean > > 2^10 bytes, you mean MiB, not MB, even if you don't like it :) > > This "international" standard seems to have excluded a few countries. > It wasn't until it was SET that I even heard of its existance. (And > then only through SLASHDOT!) > > Everyone I know has been using KB/MB/GB for 1024 forever. The *only* > exception is networking, and the occasional FLASH/ROM size. The latter > isn't very common discussion, and among those that it is, they'd know > what the other was talking about. For the former, I can distinguish > easily depending on who it is. > > Someone without a lot of experience: I have a 1MB connection. (this > user has a 1 Megabit connection) > > Someone with experience: I have a 1mb/Mb connection. (This person has a > 1 megabit connection has used a "standard" abbreviation.) You have a 1 millibit per Megabit connection?!?! [snip] /David Weinehall _ _ // David Weinehall /> Northern lights wander \\ // Maintainer of the v2.0 kernel // Dance across the winter sky // \> http://www.acc.umu.se/~tao/