Return-Path: Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id ; Mon, 24 Dec 2001 01:26:34 -0500 Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org id ; Mon, 24 Dec 2001 01:26:25 -0500 Received: from www.wen-online.de ([212.223.88.39]:35086 "EHLO wen-online.de") by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id ; Mon, 24 Dec 2001 01:26:05 -0500 Date: Mon, 24 Dec 2001 07:25:44 +0100 (CET) From: Mike Galbraith X-X-Sender: To: Cameron Simpson cc: Rik van Riel , "Eric S. Raymond" , David Garfield , Linux Kernel List Subject: Re: Configure.help editorial policy In-Reply-To: <20011224094211.A15930@zapff.research.canon.com.au> Message-ID: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII Sender: linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org X-Mailing-List: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org On Mon, 24 Dec 2001, Cameron Simpson wrote: > On Fri, Dec 21, 2001 at 07:17:45PM -0200, Rik van Riel wrote: > | On Fri, 21 Dec 2001, Eric S. Raymond wrote: > | > What, and *encourage* non-uniform terminology? No, I won't do that. > | > Better to have a single standard set of abbreviations, no matter how > | > ugly, than this. > | > | Last I checked the purpose of language was _communication_. > | Better use words people understand. > > Well, what we have is KB, which people _think_ they understand, but do not. > And KiB, which is ugly but well defined, albeit less known (at present). > > | Also, the kB vs KiB mess is so ambiguous and complex that > | it virtually guarantees that the _writers_ of documentation > | will get it wrong occasionally and only confuse the readers > | more. > > KiB is not ambiguous. KB demonstrably is. > And therefore KB is NOT useful for communication, _especially_ technical > communication. Grep around in your RFC directory, and apply your argument. The KiB definition will _create_ ambiguity in technical communication which did not exist before. -Mike - 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/