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List:       kde-devel
Subject:    Re: How to configure konqueror to show KB and MB instead of KiB and
From:       Josh Berry <des () condordes ! net>
Date:       2009-07-09 4:53:17
Message-ID: 2feea0a0907082153r1b9a5fd1ib3d394bdd763c816 () mail ! gmail ! com
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On Wed, Jul 8, 2009 at 19:57, Michael Pyne<mpyne@kde.org> wrote:
> On Wednesday 08 July 2009 21:02:54 Matthew Woehlke wrote:
>> Michael Pyne wrote:
>> > 1024 bytes, until some point in the future when it's not in common usage
>> > anymore and SI can take it back.
>>
>> ...and why do you object so strongly to that change in usage starting
>> with KDE? It has to start /somewhere/, after all.
>
> Because a) that isn't what it *means*,

Please stop stating this as though it were a fact.  At best, it is
disputed.  At worst, it has become a matter of opinion.

That's certainly not what it means to me, and it does not follow what
the "kilo-", "mega-", "giga-", etc. prefixes are commonly understood
to mean in all other contexts.

Nor does it mean what the IEEE, SI units, etc. define it to mean.  The
IEEE is, in fact, pretty clear that "kilo" = 1,000, "mega" =
1,000,000, etc. now that the binary units have been standardized by
the IEC.  (see: http://physics.nist.gov/cuu/Units/binary.html )

[snip]
> But my perspective on this whole discussion is something like this: Those who
> want "real" metric-style kilobytes are essentially inventing a new unit.  It
> would be nice of these people to name it like a new unit instead of stealing a
> perfectly good, working unit name, in current use by millions around the
> world.

Except it is NOT a new unit.  It is correcting a mistake that was made
decades ago and propagated by lazy software developers.

Unfortunately, the meaning of the *B units has become sufficiently
diluted to the point where we now have two equally-passionate groups
of people arguing over what they mean, and for all the messages that
have flown back and forth, we are no closer to agreement.  If
anything, the two sides have become entrenched and I don't see how
further discussion will get us closer to an answer.

Given the above, I've changed my mind -- I no longer think KDE should
have any units other than the *iB units.  Those are the only units we
seem to be able to agree on.  The meaning of the *B units has been
sufficiently diluted to the point that NO MATTER what definition we
pick, someone will likely misinterpret them.

> How about we name it dkB (note the lowercase k), with equivalents all the way
> up (dMB, dGB, dTB, etc.)?  That way people who really do want to see units in
> powers of 10 can, with no uncertainty as to what units they are getting, and
> those of us who just want to go on with our lives can continue to use KiB (or
> its misspelling KB).

I think we already have too many units.  KDE really *would* be doing
something unprecedented with this, as it really does break with what
everyone else is doing (nevermind the standards).  You objected before
to confusing users with KB = 1000 -- I think this would be an even
worse source of confusion.

We need to disambiguate the existing units, not make up new ones.
That's why "KiB" et al were created in the first place.

-- Josh
 
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