Re: [boost] mcs::units informal review request

From: Kevin Lynch (krlynch_at_[hidden])
Date: 2007-01-17 12:18:11

Matthias Schabel wrote:
> The rationale for this approach is that a  
> kilometer in the MKS system really is 1000 meters, just as a kilobyte  
> is 2^10 bytes... 

Poking my head into the discussion with a completely offtopic comment:

This is "incorrect" as a matter of standards and clear communication. 
kilo = 10^3 in the MKS (SI) system, never ever 1024.  The IEEE 
recommends a list of "binary prefixes" (IEC 60027-2/IEEE 1541) for 
computer usage. For instance, "Kibi" for 1024, with prefix Ki. 
Similarly for Mebi, Gibi, etc.  I heartily recommend this practice for 
reduction of ambiguity, and I note that it is (very) slowly catching on 
around the Net.  It's also the subject of a legal standardization 
process in the EU (prEN 60027-2:2006)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IEEE_1541

Of course, this has no bearing on the library under discussion :-) Back 
to lurking ...

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