Re: [boost] [units] Pull request and RFC: information unit definitions for Boost.Units

Subject: Re: [boost] [units] Pull request and RFC: information unit definitions for Boost.Units
From: Erik Erlandson (eje_at_[hidden])
Date: 2014-07-06 08:49:26

I'd like to get this in, unless there's some objections.   Who curates the units library?

----- Original Message -----
> 
> 
> ----- Original Message -----
> > Link to PR:  https://github.com/boostorg/units/pull/3
> > 
> > Description:
> > Adds unit definitions for standard units of information:  bit, byte, nat,
> > hartley, shannon.  Defines a new unit system boost::units::information for
> > convenient manipulation.  Also includes IEC binary prefixes:  kibi, mebi,
> > gibi, tebi, pebi, exbi
> > 
> > Example code:
> > https://github.com/erikerlandson/units/blob/info_units/example/information.cpp
> > 
> > Unit testing code:
> > https://github.com/erikerlandson/units/blob/info_units/test/test_information_units.cpp
> 
> 
> 
> In the interest of describing a use case, the reason I found myself wanting
> this was that for my ongoing edit_distance() project, I want to allow a user
> to specify a memory limit for the computation.  Boost.Units is a nice
> vehicle for that, since it allows a user to:
> 
> (a) specify a memory limit in whatever units and scale they choose, e.g.  (10
> * si::mega * bytes) or (1 * si::giga * bytes), etc.
> (b) be unambiguous that it is a quantity of memory, as opposed to some
> generic numeric value.
> 
> Contrast with typical solutions that say things like "supply an integer that
> represents the memory limit, in megabytes"
> 
> I also intend to support time limits on the computation, and so by the same
> logic my plan is to allow the user to supply a time limit using a
> Boost.Units time quantity, in any supported unit based on time_dimension.
> 
> Obviously, units of information could support other kinds of use, e.g.
> applying units to entropies, as in the example code.
> 
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