[Ffmpeg-devel] [PATCH] Print KB for 1024 bytes

[Panagiotis Issaris]

Hi,

M?ns Rullg?rd schreef:
> The Wanderer said:
>> Ian Caulfield wrote:
>>
>>> On 15/02/07, Michel Bardiaux <mbardiaux at mediaxim.be> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Panagiotis Issaris wrote:
>>>>> M?ns Rullg?rd schreef:
>>>>>> Michel Bardiaux said:
>>>>>>> For consistency with command line options
>>>>>> Rejected.  The standard abbreviation for kilo is a lowercase k.
>>>> For kilo-1000 or kilo-1024? Currently, in the *same* message, k in
>>>> kB means 1024 and k in kbits/sec means 1000. They cant both be
>>>> right!
> 
> They ARE both right.  That is the historical use of kilo when talking
> about bytes and bitstreams.  When specifying the size of RAM chips,
> kilo of course means 1024.  It's all in the context.
I do not think that the meaning of units should be context dependent.
Especially not when the context is so closely related.

>>> Wikipedia recommends 'k' for 1000, and 'Ki' for 1024
>>> (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kilobyte)
> 
> Wikipedia is hardly an authority in any matter whatsoever.
> 
>> ...and "Ki" represents "kibi", which like the rest of its ilk is an ugly
>> abomination, not to be used on pain of ME HATES YOU FOREVER.
> 
> I agree, and I will personally revert any commits introducing this madness into
> ffmpeg.
IMHO the "madness" lies with those who thought 1024 was "close enough"
to 1000 to
reuse the 'k' prefix for it.

And for the end-user, the "madness" lies in the fact that he sees "kB"
but can't be sure if it means 1000 or 1024, because he doesn't know the
context in which to use either. A bit as with harddrive sizes.


With friendly regards,
Takis