[pif]

> I've never heard

It doesn't matter. "kilo" means 1000. People are free to use it wrong if they wish.

[tombert]

All words are made up. They weren’t handed down from a deity, they were made up by humans to communicate ideas to other humans.

“Kilo” can mean what we want in different contexts and it’s really no more or less correct as long as both parties understand and are consistent in their usage to each other.

[ablob]

I find it concerning that kilo can mean both 10^3 and 2^10 depending on context. And that the context is not if you're speaking about computery stuff, but which program you use has almost certainly lead to avoidable bugs.

[nixpulvis]

That's a terribly nihilistic outlook on language.

We agree to meaning to communicate and progress without endless debate and confusion.

SI is pretty clear for a reason.

[SturgeonsLaw]

> “Kilo” can mean what we want in different contexts

Fair enough.

1000 watts is a kilowatt

1000 hertz is a kilohertz

1000 metres is a kilometre

1000 litres is a kilolitre

1000 joules is a kilojoule

1000 volts is a kilovolt

1000 newtons is a kilonewton

1000 pascals is a kilopascal

1024 bytes is a kilobyte, because that's what we're used to and we don't want to change to a new prefix

[throw0101c]

>> It doesn't matter. "kilo" means 1000. People are free to use it wrong if they wish.

> All words are made up.

Yes, and the made up words of kilo and kibi were given specific definitions by the people who made them up:

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metric_prefix

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binary_prefix

> […] as long as both parties understand and are consistent in their usage to each other.

And if they don't? What happens then?

Perhaps it would be easier to use the words definitions as they are set up in standards and regulations so context is less of an issue.

* https://xkcd.com/1860/

[NewJazz]

Yes!

(And by that I mean "what the fuck, no...")

[bigDinosaur]

All you've done is created a homonym for no good reason at all.

[bloppe]

If Bob says "kilobyte" to Alice, and Bob means 5432 bytes, and Alice perceives him to mean 5432 bytes, then in that context, "kilobyte" means 5432 bytes.

[bruce343434]

What are the odds of Charlie meeting Bob and Alice?

[kazinator]

No, in that context, kilobyte means 1024 bytes, like in every other context. :)

[lightedman]

Man let a drug dealer give me a binary 'kilo' of some drug. That's almost a free ounce included!

[AngryData]

In North America blackmarket drugs are often sold in pounds and ounces but measured in grams so you do see some rounding.

[burnt-resistor]

Such a myopic view when reality and marketing is messier than dramatic self-righteousness. This unnecessary bikeshedding nonsense has already been solved by using mebi, kibi, etc. to disambiguate sloppy abuse of SI units.

[NetMageSCW]

Fortunately SI doesn’t get to own terms or prefixes and trying to enforce different usage by fiat fails in the real world, exactly as it should.

[nixpulvis]

Exactly.

If you're talking loosely, then you can get away with it.