3GiB ram, gnome-system-monitor now says 2.9GiB

[Liam Proven]

2009/4/7 Nils Kassube <kassube at gmx.net>:
> Liam Proven wrote:
>> In computing, KB/MB/GB/TB means the binary powers.
>
> Not necessarily - bitrates are always decimal.

True. At risk of being pedantic, that's datacomms rather than
computing in general, but you're right.

> IMHO binary units are more confusing and beginners usually don't know
> binary units. Now try to calculate transmission times from bitrates in
> decimal units and file size in binary units :)

Well, that's the thing. Whereas the adverts sometimes says "this hard
disk stores 1000 000 000 000 bytes" or something similarly useless,
nobody sells PCs with 2.04GB of memory or a 5.1GB DIMM. Binary is what
people use, so I think it's better to explain what "gig" and "meg"
mean in computing rather than introduce confusing new units which
nobody much uses in the real world of retail and support.

>> It's pedantry and
>> sophistry and it helps nobody.
>
> Well, computing is about being pedantic if you want to avoid bugs.

Indeed true, but only 0.01% or so of computer users are programmers,
and the proportion is falling all the time...

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