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Bits 'n Bytes. Why 1 MB isn't equal to 1 million bytes

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Well, I don't think this Kebi Mebi Gibi business is really gonna work, since we're already pretty entrenched in the current system, and it's basically HDD manufacturers vs the rest of the computing world, doesn't really matter to most as long as its understood.
 
Originally posted by: dullard

Metric system is pretty much better in all ways except for temperature. Fahrenheit is so much better than Celcius in my opinion. However, Throin, everthing is based on multiples of random things. The meter is now based on some strange multiple of an atomic wavelength. The kilogram is based on a random amount of material that was designated as a kilogram, etc.
Click to expand...

How the hell was Fahrenheit better than Celsius? Fahrenheit started out as 0 degrees designating the temperature of Dry Ice (thought to be the coldest thing in the world back then), with tick marks up. Celsius was started at 0 meaning water ice and 100 meaning boiling water, with tick marks drawn between.

The meter is now officially 1/300,000 the speed light travels in a second.

The kilogram will be based on something, but I forgot what.
 
I think MiB will be the most influential term of our lives.




i mean it taught us that there are good aliens and bad and they live in constant flux.... oh ya and humans are gulllible enough to look at a stranger in a suit when he says look into my stick.
 
Metric is great. Base 10 makes for easy math and not having to remember how many feet per mile. But computers are binary. 1 MB = 1024 KB = 1024 B.
 
Originally posted by: dexvx
Originally posted by: dullard

Metric system is pretty much better in all ways except for temperature. Fahrenheit is so much better than Celcius in my opinion. However, Throin, everthing is based on multiples of random things. The meter is now based on some strange multiple of an atomic wavelength. The kilogram is based on a random amount of material that was designated as a kilogram, etc.
Click to expand...

How the hell was Fahrenheit better than Celsius? Fahrenheit started out as 0 degrees designating the temperature of Dry Ice (thought to be the coldest thing in the world back then), with tick marks up. Celsius was started at 0 meaning water ice and 100 meaning boiling water, with tick marks drawn between.

The meter is now officially 1/300,000 the speed light travels in a second.

The kilogram will be based on something, but I forgot what.
Click to expand...

In 1983 the meter was officially redefined as the distance traveled by light in vacuum during 1/299,792,458 of a second.

You have your Fahrenheit basis incorrect. 0°F was originally declared the freezing temperature of a half water half salt mixture (by weight, and just like the Celcius basis must be at 1 atm pressure), and 100°F was meant to be the average body temperature (but Fahrenheit accidently measured it wrong - body temperature averages around 98.6°F). But who cares what the basis is they are all arbitrary - freezing water vs freezing water/salt who cares? It could be based on the freezing point of an elephant dung as far as I care. And since the air pressure effects the temperature, these are moving targets. One day the ice could freeze above 0°C, and the next day ice could freeze below 0°C. These are thus still arbitrary; thus what matters is in practice. There are a few reasons I feel that Fahrenheit is better.
1) What do most people care about when they consider temperature? Yes the weather. 0°F is pretty much the lower limit of temperature that people can withstand, 100°F is pretty much the upper limit. Or in other words, above 100°F is a really hot day, and below 0°F is a really cold day. And exactly half way in between is a nice spring/fall day. With Celcius the weather limits are -17°C and 37°C. Doesn't 0 and 100 seem much better than -17 and 37?
2) A person cannot detect a very small change in temperature - there is a finite limit. For example people cannot tell the difference between 20.00°C and 20.01°C. What is the typical temperature change people need to first detect with their body? Studies have shown it is just about exactly 1°F. So that means each tick on the Fahrenheit scale is just barely enough for people to feel the difference. Not true with Celcius. You need 0.56°C to tell the difference.
 
Anyone want to make a chart for all of this?

Ala 1Megabyte = X amount Megabits = X amount of MibiBits etc?

Lets say john doe buys a new 40GB HD, it shows up as 37Gbs. Explain this to him, he is a computer noob 😀
 
Originally posted by: BoberFett
Metric is great. Base 10 makes for easy math and not having to remember how many feet per mile. But computers are binary. 1 MB = 1024 KB = 1024 B.
Click to expand...
Uh yer math is broken just like Sunner's (or well the ppl he works with). 1 MB == 1024 KB != 1024 B

Originally posted by: Dullard
Metric system is pretty much better in all ways except for temperature.
Click to expand...
Isn't Kelvin metric temperature? (Where zero really is zero)

Originally posted by: Tabb
Anyone want to make a chart for all of this?

Ala 1Megabyte = X amount Megabits = X amount of MibiBits etc?
Click to expand...
1 MegaByte = 8 Megabits = 7.62939453125 MibiBits etc (er ummm something like that)
Lets say john doe buys a new 40GB HD, it shows up as 37Gbs. Explain this to him, he is a computer noob 😀
Click to expand...
Easy "John you have NFC about computers accept things as they are, complain to the store/manufacturer, or return it for a refund." (BTW if John's 40GB (GigaByte) HD shows as 37Gb (GigaBits) he got seriously ripped and really should return it)

Thorin
 
all i ask is consistency. let 100 gb drive be the same as all other labeled 100 GB drives.

i don't want to know the difference and look for small print anymore than i alreayd have to.





btw - freezing point of elephant dung is around 22 - 25 degrees F. 😉
 
Originally posted by: BoberFett
Metric is great. Base 10 makes for easy math and not having to remember how many feet per mile. But computers are binary. 1 MB = 1024 KB = 1024 B.
Click to expand...

And although I agree, you still have to remember how many meters in a kilometer, regardless how much simple a number it is 😉

and what self-respecting american doesn't know 5280'/mi

 
Originally posted by: buleyb
Originally posted by: BoberFett
Metric is great. Base 10 makes for easy math and not having to remember how many feet per mile. But computers are binary. 1 MB = 1024 KB = 1024 B.
Click to expand...

And although I agree, you still have to remember how many meters in a kilometer, regardless how much simple a number it is 😉
Click to expand...
Uh what's to remember (ya I see yer winky smiley but seriously ppl what's so hard about 10s)? It's all 10s

10 millimeters = 1 centimeter
10 centimeters = 1 decimeter
10 decimeters = 1 meter
10 meters = 1 dekameter
10 dekameters = 1 hectameter
10 hectameters = 1 kilometer
etc....

Thorin
 
Nothing, it was my way of saying "you have to remember something either way", be it a number like 5280, or a number like 1000, or a way of calculating the number...

so basically I'm a jerk 😉
 
Originally posted by: buleyb
Nothing, it was my way of saying "you have to remember something either way", be it a number like 5280, or a number like 1000, or a way of calculating the number...

so basically I'm a jerk 😉
Click to expand...

agreed buleyb is a jerk.

he obviously doesnt understand how great the metric system is. For an example of how great it is: Canada uses it.


Tada!!!
 
can't we all just please agree that are arguing semantics......

and more importantly we are argueing them on company time?🙂
 
Originally posted by: martind1
can't we all just please agree that are arguing semantics......

and more importantly we are argueing them on company time?🙂
Click to expand...
That'd be a yes on both counts ..... but shhh don't tell 😛

Thorin

 
Originally posted by: martind1
can't we all just please agree that are arguing semantics......

and more importantly we are argueing them on company time?🙂
Click to expand...

It's research. I wouldn't want our company to be taken by surprise when the full Mega/Mebi switch occurs.
 
Originally posted by: BoberFett
Originally posted by: martind1
can't we all just please agree that are arguing semantics......

and more importantly we are argueing them on company time?🙂
Click to expand...

It's research. I wouldn't want our company to be taken by surprise when the full Mega/Mebi switch occurs.
Click to expand...

damn, i am doing research too, this might get me employee of the month!!
 
Ok ok...I was drunk or something.
1 MB == 1024 KB == 1048576 B etc etc.

You know what I meant, or I wouldn't be having this discussion. 🙂

Oh and metric owns imperial.
 
inside computer system: 1GB = 1024MB, 1MB = 1024B, 1B = 8b.
harddisk manufacturer: 1GB = 1000MB, 1MB = 1000B, so they can market a truely 37GB hd as a so-called 40GB HD.
They're not cheating since they've stated that on the box and in the specification.
 
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