Memory in megabytes and/or mebibytes

Article Abstract:

The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) has approved new metric prefixes based on powers of two rather than on powers of 10 to provide a way to represent ever-growing computer memory capacity. Memory sizes are expressed in powers of two but expressed using the closest metric prefix, thus a kilometer has 1,000 meters but a kilobyte has 1,024 bytes. The new prefixes are the kibi (Ki) for 2 to the 10th, the mebi (Mi) for 2 to the 20th, the gibi (Gi) for 2 to the 30th, the tebi (Ti) for 2 to the 40th, the pebi (Pi) for 2 to the 50th, and the exbi (Ei) for 2 to the 60th. Some claim that the new prefixes are unnecessary because there is no confusion about the number of bytes in a kilobyte or a megabyte, but IEEE Standards Coordinating Committee Chmn Bruce Barrow points out that hard drives are sold as '1 gigabyte' and in fact have 1 billion bytes rather than 1,073,741,824 bytes.

Product standards, safety, & recalls, Computer Storage Device Manufacturing, Memories & Storage Devices, Computer storage devices, Standards, Computer industry, Standard, Standardization, Computer memory, Technology development, Column, Computer peripherals industry, International Electrotechnical Commission, Memory management, Data storage device, Memory (Computers), Storage capacity

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Technically speaking

Article Abstract:

Amazon.com, the online bookseller, offers customers the opportunity to post to its site reviews of books, which has led to an interesting crossing-over of terms: 'Ping,' as in a children's book about a duck of that name and 'ping' as a Unix utility for diagnosing TCP/IP network connections have been used in a review in which the story is considered a manual on the utility, describing networking in children's terms, anthropomorphizing the packet structure. Various canards emerge. Also discussed is an incongruity in electrical nomenclature which uses the variable 'i' to represent current in such equations as Ohm's Law, although i is not the initial letter, or any other letter, in 'current.' The best explanation sent by readers was Georg Ohm's use of i for 'intensity,' referring to a current through a load. L for inductance and Q for charge bring new questions.

Marketing procedures, Services information, Book publishing, Book Publishers, New Electronic Marketing, Nonstore Retailers, Mail Order Books, Services, Retail industry, Retail trade, Marketing, Amazon.com Inc., Mail order book trade, AMZN

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Technically speaking

Article Abstract:

The origin and usage of the word 'kludge' or 'klooge' or 'kluge' are discussed. Typing styles for the SI unit of reactive power, 'VAr' or 'var', are evaluated. Based on the IEEE Standard Dictionary of Electrical and Electronics Terms, ed. 6, 'var' is correct. The animation in language of inanimate data, as in reference in which data is said to be pumped is discussed. In technical culture sometimes language is misused. Some amusing stories are included.

General services, Engineering Services

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