🚀 go-pugleaf

Phred wrote:
> In article <0L3Sb.28740$qx2.3400569@stones.force9.net>, 
> "John J. Burness" <JohnJBurnessAT@ieeDOT.org> wrote:
> 
>>Chuck Lapre wrote:
>>
>>>I installed my new Dimension XPs today.  The HD is supposed to be 120 GB.
>>>Yet, the total size is listed as 111 GB.  Free space is 104 GB.
>>>I was only going to pay for 80 GB.  This was an upgrade.
>>>Is there a reasonable explanation, or did Dell mess up?
>>
>>You do HAVE a 120G HDD!!
>>
>>If you right-click on the Drive (within Explorer) do you get a total 
>>size that exceeds 120,000,000,000? That is 120G (although I have seen 
>>199,9xx,xxx,xxx which is NOT 120G but is "near enough").
>>
>>By definition, within EVERY International Standard:-
>>1k = 1,000
>>1M = 1,000k = 1,000,000
>>1G = 1,000M = 1,000,000k = 1,000,000,000
>>
>>In the early days of Computing, simply because it was binary based & far 
>>simpler to calculate, 1k was assumed to be 1,024 (in those days nobody 
>>had ever thought about 1M, certainly it beyond any dreams to talk about 
>>1G). The odd 24 bits were not worth bothering about!!
>>
>>In other words, a "slang", but technically incorrect, definition started 
>>to be used.
>>
>>The consequence of the error (or mis-understanding) this creates is 
>>guaranteed to confuse most people!
>>
>>Keeping it in strictly Computer Slang definitions
>>1k = 1,024
>>1M = 1,024 x 1,024 = 1,048,576
>>1G = 1,024 x 1,024 x 1,024 = 1,073,741,824
>>
>>For a HDD that is correctly defined as 120G (i.e. 120,000,000,000) this 
>>would be displayed as 111.7G.
>>
>>Incidentally, your original 80G HDD would have been displayed as 74.5G!
> 
> I actual fact I ran across three definitions of "gigabyte" when 
> looking at some hard disk specs on my Dell Dimension 4100 the other 
> day -- depending on which source was quoting the data.  
> 
> 1. Dell itself defines GB as 1000^3 bytes for HDDs, IIRC.
> 2. Windows Explorer (Win ME) uses 1024^3 in "properties".
> 3. Device Manager uses a hybid, 1000^2*1024.
> 
> The 1000^3 definition seems to be used universally by manufacturers 
> for HDDs these days.  Call it the "HDD GB".

How about "decimal" or "base 10"?

Didn't know Dev Mgr used a different scheme - learn something new every 
day on Usenet.