Re: PROBLEM: KB->KiB, MB -> MiB, ... (IEC 60027-2)

[Bernd Petrovitsch]

On Mon, 2007-01-22 at 02:56 +0100, Krzysztof Halasa wrote:
> Jan Engelhardt <jengelh@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> writes:
> 
> > Bleh. Except for storage, base 1024 was used for almost everything
> > I remember. 4 MB memory meant 4096 KB, and that's still the case today.
> > Most likely the same for transfer rates.
> 
> Nope, transfer rates were initially 1000-based: 9.6 kbps = 9600 bps,
> 28.8 kbps = 28800 bps, 64 kbps = 64000 bps. Then it went 128, 256,
> 512 kbps = 512000 bps and 1 Mbps = 2 * 512 kbps = 1024000 bps.

ACK. But this and harddisk sizes are really the only areas.

> But it's limited mostly to serial interfaces. Other networks use
> 10, 1000 etc. because they have nothing natural in (powers of) 2
> so 1 Mbps may be 1000000 bps as well.
> 
> > It's just that storage vendors broke the computer rule and went with 1000.
> 
> 1024 etc. is (should be) natural to disks because the sector size
> is 512 B, 2048 B or something like that.

Yes, but it sounds in commercials better if there is a larger number
there. And you can raise the result of a fraction if you lower the
divisor.

	Bernd
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