Return-Path: Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id ; Sat, 22 Dec 2001 00:29:22 -0500 Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org id ; Sat, 22 Dec 2001 00:29:13 -0500 Received: from h24-77-26-115.gv.shawcable.net ([24.77.26.115]:55680 "EHLO phalynx") by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id ; Sat, 22 Dec 2001 00:29:01 -0500 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII From: Ryan Cumming To: "linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org" Subject: Re: Changing KB, MB, and GB to KiB, MiB, and GiB =?iso-8859-1?q?in Configure=2Ehelp=2E?= Date: Fri, 21 Dec 2001 21:29:00 -0800 X-Mailer: KMail [version 1.3.2] Cc: timothy.covell@ashavan.org In-Reply-To: <3C234CC100020E25@mta13n.bluewin.ch> <200112220214.fBM2EsSr022402@svr3.applink.net> In-Reply-To: <200112220214.fBM2EsSr022402@svr3.applink.net> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7BIT Message-Id: Sender: linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org X-Mailing-List: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org On December 21, 2001 18:11, Timothy Covell wrote: > As concerns the use of Traditional Units being weird, I would say that the > motivation made a lot of since. The units were based on commonly > available natural units of measure, eg. > > one inch = 1 thumb = 1 pouce > one foot = size of a foot = 1 pied Oh, and things like having 0 degrees being the temperature of -frozen water- isn't really that natural... no, we'd be much better off using averagish sizes of human body parts as a reference. > Also, as is very appropriate to this discussion, the English Units > made use of powers of two and three. Eg. > > 1 inch, 1/2 inch, 1/4 inch, 1/8 inch Oh, that's right, only users of the Imperial system can use these new-fangled "fractions". If only someone would invent a 1/4 centimeter, the metric system would be a viable replacement! How about this: Seeing there is no commonly used unit smaller than an inch, people had to resort to using fractions of an inch to describe sizes. It works in metric too, but people just don't, because there are a wider range of metric units. > 3 feet equals a yard. > > So, the English units were more attuned to nature. The only thing > natural about base ten is that the majority of us have 10 fingers and > 10 toes. Yes, and three is a magical number decreed by God himself. You do have a good point, though, the Imperial system fits in quite well with our base-two-but-sometimes-three number system. > Finally, Farhenheit units are smaller so that they make more convenient > divisions: Eg. Brilliant. The system with the smallest units wins. Let me introduce you to the yocto-centigrade, where the boiling point is 10^26 degrees. Combined with the revolutionary new "decimal point", you can obtain never before seen precision in describing temperatures! -Ryan - To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-kernel" in the body of a message to majordomo@vger.kernel.org More majordomo info at http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html Please read the FAQ at http://www.tux.org/lkml/