Reiability of wrong media (was: is out of 5-1/4" diskettes

From: Jason Willgruber <roblwill_at_usaor.net>
Date: Fri Jan 22 20:05:26 1999

Every computer that I've ever owned, When it does a memory test of "1
megabyte", the listing is always

1024KB......OK.

--
                 -Jason Willgruber
               (roblwill_at_usaor.net)
                  ICQ#: 1730318
<http://members.tripod.com/general_1>
-----Original Message-----
From: Tony Duell <ard_at_p850ug1.demon.co.uk>
To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers
<classiccmp_at_u.washington.edu>
Date: Friday, January 22, 1999 2:58 PM
Subject: Re: Reiability of wrong media (was: is out of 5-1/4" diskettes
>> Find me an authoritative reference that defines a megabyte as 1024 * 1024
>> bytes and I'll eat a pancake.
>
>I don't know how 'authoritative' you need, but will an IBM TechRef do?
>
>The PC/AT one that I've just picked up says :
>
>
>M (1) Prefix mega; 1,000,000. (2) When refering to computer storage
>capacity, 1,048,576 (1,048,576= 2 to the 20th power)
>
>Also
>Mb 1,048,576 bytes.
>
>Incidentaly, it also defines
>
>Gb  1,073,741,824 bytes (=2^30 ARD)
>
>Can you find a reference (other than an advert :-)) that defines it any
>other way?
>
>Anyway, I might accept that 1Mbyte = 10^6 bytes, particularly if you
>happen to have a decimal or BCD machine :-) (this is classiccmp). But I
>don't see any justification for making it 1024000 bytes. And that's the
>only way you can have '1.44Mbytes' on a HD 3.5" disk
>
>-tony
>
>

Received on Fri Jan 22 1999 - 20:05:26 GMT