[MEncoder-users] Using SI units in mencoder

[Tetsuo Yokozuka]

On Mon, 7 Feb 2005 14:47:35 -0500, D Richard Felker III
<dalias at aerifal.cx> wrote:
> We don't like SI redefining terms on us, so I'm very opposed to
> anything like this.

The International System of Units is not redefining anything, actually
it confirms the meaning of prefixes such as 'k' (kilo), and makes the
distinction between powers of ten (which we've always used) and powers
of two (which we started using relatively recently), clearing any
confusion. If you say that the prefix 'k' indicates 1024, then *you*
are the one redefining a term (kilo) and a notation that have been
used for centuries, long before the transistor was invented.

>From the SI page:
"But, almost overnight a much more numerous "everybody" bought
computers, and the trade computer professionals needed to talk to
physicists and engineers and even to ordinary people, most of whom
know that a kilometer is 1000 meters and a kilogram is 1000 grams."

You not liking it doesn't make you right. But to quote myself:

> Even if you reject SI units for whatever reason, at least specify in
> the man page that you are in fact using powers of two or ten.

While encoding, the estimated final size of the avi is even expressed
in 'mb', which doesn't mean anything. That is just FUBAR.