Ubuntu will go to base 10 units...

[Bazza]

Hi all...

Not sure if anyone is interested but........

http://www.neowin.net/news/ubuntu-imple ... re-release

[Oyster]

Sounds fine to me, as long as it's consistent so people know what they're looking at.

[shinso]

First the Mac like close, minimise and maximise buttons in 10.4, and now base-10 units like Mac.

I really can't understand why they are doing this.

[nordle]

I never understood as a kid why the olds had so much trouble with millimeters, centimeters etc Couldn't appreciate the whole decimalisation, shillings etc changes they had to get used to.

"Sweet its going to be a balmy 25c tomorrow"

"What's that in real money?" was the reply.

Well, I guess I'm going to start to have a basic idea of the annoyance.

Then again, its just a case of remembering..... wonder if all the apps, such as the media burning apps, and drive partition apps will all get sorted together....

[Rhakios]

First the Mac like close, minimise and maximise buttons in 10.4, and now base-10 units like Mac.

I really can't understand why they are doing this.

Made me think of this:

[nelz]

I'm not Ubuntu's biggest fan, but they are doing the right thing here. The SI units are defined as powers of 10, not 2, so using k to represent 1024 is corrupting a standard. The current situation, where some use binary and some use decimal units is confusing. To take Nordle's currency analogy, it like some quoting prices with VAT and some without, but not telling you which.

If you want to represent 1024, use the correct prefix, kibi, kilo has been defined as 1000 for hundreds of years. The confusion only arises because this situation was allowed to continue for far too long. All power to Ubuntu for taking a stand on this.

[shinso]

nelz: I understand, but why base 10?

[nelz]

Because that's what SI metric units have been defined in for hundreds of years. kilo has meant 100 since Adam was a lad, why corrupt it to mean something else because you can't be bothered to think up your own prefix?

How would you feel if your employer decided to make an hour 66 minutes, but still expect you to work the same number of hours for the same pay? What time would you turn up when someone said "see you in half an hour"?

[shinso]

Hrm it will be interesting to see how this plays out.

[ollie]

... kilo has meant 100 since Adam was a lad ...

kilo = 1000 since the late 1600's but if you want to start your own measuring system that's fine

It will just bring storage into line with manufactures' hard drive specifications. Computers have used binary because early computers with valves, and still do today, use electricity to represent everything as on or off. Perhaps this is getting ready for quantum computing

[Bazza]

Hi ollie...

> Perhaps this is getting ready for quantum computing :D

I wonder how many quantum corruptions will occur with
the transition?

;oD

[gn2]

~ why base 10?

Look at your hands, how many digits do you see?

[nelz]

Ten, which is why I can count to 1023 on them

[Bazza]

Hi nelz...

> Ten, which is why I can count to 1023 on them :)

ROTFLMAO...

[shinso]

Look at your hands, how many digits do you see?

Yeah but as nelz points out, computers use binary

And as crappy as my laptop may be, it doesn't need to use my fingers to count.