[Ffmpeg-devel] [PATCH] Remove "bufsize" OptionDef option

Gary Corcoran gcorcoran
Sun Sep 17 19:36:39 CEST 2006


The Wanderer wrote:
> M?ns Rullg?rd wrote:
> 
>> The Wanderer <inverseparadox at comcast.net> writes:
> 
>>> But it also involves capitulating to the attempt to change the
>>> meaning of terminology, in the name of decreased imprecision. I'm
>>> normally all for being precise (ambiguity is one of my big
>>> bugaboos), but I find 'kibi' (etc.) to be simply abhorrent.
>>
>> I can't stand them either.
>>
>>> As far as I'm concerned, K/k/kilo as a prefix means 1024 when
>>> dealing with binary data of any type, and 1000 otherwise - period.
>>
>> It means 1024 when dealing with bytes.  When dealing with bits (as in
>> bitrates), it's usually 1000.
> 
> I'm aware of this attempt to draw a line (or I am now, at any rate), but
> I think I still stand by my statement; I see no particular reason to
> change the meaning of the prefix just because we've changed the
> magnitude of the unit.

It's not the magnitude of the unit - it's the context.  As far as I'm
concerned, when dealing with memory sizes, be they in RAM or on disk,
K means 1024.  But dealing with bitrates, K means 1000.  I think that's
the way most of us on this list think of these.  So what's wrong with
having the command line interpretations be the same as the above?  That
is, have the interpretation be context sensitive.  Yes, it doesn't lead
to nice supposedly 'clean' code being able to interpret K in only one
way - but so what?  Computers should cater to humans, not the other way
around...

>>> (The equivalent is naturally true of the corresponding greater
>>> prefixes. The capitalization either is irrelevant, or indicates
>>> whether we're dealing with bytes or with bits.)
>>
>> In general, the capitalization is important.  With bits and bytes it
>> is less so, since a millibyte doesn't really make a lot of sense.
> 
> You're right. Bytes vs. bits is usually indicated by the capitalization
> of the B/b, not the prefix; I'm not sure where I was going with that.

Yes, IMHO, B should mean bytes, b should mean bits...

Gary




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