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Ubuntu Will Switch To Base-10 File Size Units In Future Release

Posted by Soulskill on from the stay-above-the-belt dept.

CyberDragon777 writes "Ubuntu's future 10.10 operating system is going to make a small, but contentious change to how file sizes are represented. Like most other operating systems using binary prefixes, Ubuntu currently represents 1 kB (kilobyte) as 1024 bytes (base-2). But starting with 10.10, a switch to SI prefixes (base-10) will denote 1 kB as 1000 bytes, 1 MB as 1000 kB, 1 GB as 1000 MB, and so on."

13 of 984 comments (clear)

  1. Cannonical is just trolling us by Hadlock · · Score: 5, Funny

    First, screwing with GUI buttons, now this? Mark Shuttleworth, I'm calling you out on your BS
     
    ;)

    --
    moox. for a new generation.
    1. Re:Cannonical is just trolling us by Blue+Stone · · Score: 4, Funny

      Kibibytes always makes me think of cat treats.

      Is that what we want? More lolcats in our hardrives? Fuxxoring up our filesizes?

      --
      Corporation, n. An ingenious device for obtaining individual profit without individual responsibility. - Ambrose Bierce
    2. Re:Cannonical is just trolling us by Sique · · Score: 3, Funny

      And there was me, with 38910 BASIC BYTES deeply ingrained into my brain...

      --
      .sig: Sique *sigh*
    3. Re:Cannonical is just trolling us by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

      Actually 'B' is 'Bel' like in decibels - dBs. So kB is kilobels etc. This causes me no end of confusion as I wonder why hard-drive manufacturers are measuring drive capacity on a logarithmic scale compared to some unspecified standard size.

      I think we should decimalize completely, remove the confusing 8-bit byte and introduce a new 10-bit unit called a "dyke".

      That way there'd be no confusion.

    4. Re:Cannonical is just trolling us by camperdave · · Score: 5, Funny

      When I make a cake, I don't use 1 cup of flower...

      I am glad for everyone who might eat your baking.

      --
      When our name is on the back of your car, we're behind you all the way!
    5. Re:Cannonical is just trolling us by Dewin · · Score: 5, Funny

      Is that what we want? More lolcats in our hardrives? Fuxxoring up our filesizes?

      Mebi? Or mebi not.

      --
      Of course nobody reads the FAQ! If people read the FAQ, the Questions wouldn't be so Frequently Asked.
  2. Re:Really annoying by Culture20 · · Score: 4, Funny

    What's next? Imperial units for us Europeans?

    Hell no. Imperial units for file sizes. A byte will be twelve bits, a kilobyte will be 3 bytes, and a megabyte will be 5280 bytes. A petabyte will be 5.87849981x10^12 megabytes. There won't really be such things as terabytes or gigabytes, which will make drive manufacturers happy because most of their drives are measured in TB or GB.

  3. Re:Really annoying by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    I feel that base 10 is the wrong way to count.

    You must have a horribly difficult time in this world.

  4. Re:ubuntu joins apple... by The+Wild+Norseman · · Score: 5, Funny

    So yes, SI as base-10 precedes the standards-breaking use among computer engineers and computer scientists by well over 100 years.

    Wait a second. Are you talking 100 years, or 102.4 yirs?

    --
    "A government is a body of people usually -- notably -- ungoverned." -Shepherd Book
  5. Re:Just use the right prefix by noidentity · · Score: 3, Funny

    As long as they use the correct prefix, I don't really mind whether they use base 2 or 10 to display the numbers.

    I'd prefer they not display numbers in base 2. Reading a long string of ones and zeroes is difficult.

  6. Base-19 which base by rossdee · · Score: 3, Funny

    The number 10 is different depending upon which base you use.

    There are 10 types of people, those who understand binary, and those who don't.

    1. Re:Base-19 which base by ricotest · · Score: 3, Funny

      There are 10 types of people: those who understand binary, and those who have regular sex.

  7. Re:And the pussification/retardization... by binary+paladin · · Score: 3, Funny

    Yeah, I really hate when the tools are use daily are made more standardized and sensible. I mean really, I know how you feel. I was RAGING the day I worked on my first motherboard that didn't require me to fiddle with jumpers and man, oh man, I about blew a gasket when I didn't have manually configure my autoexec.bat file anymore so I could play games.

    What the fuck is wrong with people trying to make computers accessible? Fucking pussies and their keyboards and their mice. Gimme my damn punch cards!