[MEncoder-users] Using SI units in mencoder

[Tetsuo Yokozuka]

On Tue, 8 Feb 2005 00:32:31 -0800, RC <rcooley at spamcop.net> wrote:

> No, mencoder uses kilobytes.  Just because hard drive manufacturers have
> a long-running scam to rip-off customers by redefining terms, doesn't
> change their meaning.  Just because a US government agency was
> presumably bribed by the industry to legitimize the scam, doesn't mean
> we should go along with it.

We should go along with freakin' standards. A kilo is 1,000, any kind
of scientist will tell you that.

> > It is too confusing for not using the appropriate units and notations.
> 
> You are absolutely right.  You should be complaining to hard drive
> manufacturers, though, not here.

Then why is it that you use powers of ten for bitrates, and powers of
two for byte sizes?

Actually you may be right. Perhaps changing the minds of hard drive
manufacturers would be easier than changing the minds of Free Software
developers who are completely full of themselves because their app. is
ranked #1 on freshmeat.

This isn't the first time I've seen suggestions be automatically
rejected because "we just don't like it".

> I hear some ice-cream manufacturers are selling "half-gallons" of
> their products, which are less than half a gallon...  Should we
> re-define terms every time they get miss-used in order to scam people?

A gallon is a gallon, a liter is a liter, a kilo is a kilo. Besides,
at least hard drive manufacturers *always* specify on their products
that they are using powers of 10 (not that it should be necessary).

That said, at least be consistent with the units you use. I don't know
what 'mb' is. Megabit ? Megabyte? Does it mean 1,000,000 bits or
bytes, or 1,048,576 ?

Reading the other replies in this thread, I can't even argue. You guys
are so stubborn. Fortunately, the GPL allows me to modify the program
and to publish those modifications. I've made a patch against MPlayer
1.0pre6a that turns every unit into SI units. Anyone interested in
hosting it may contact me by e-mail. Even if it's just me, at least I
won't bug you with this issue anymore.

And by the way, there are lots of applications (I'm thinking of
coreutils and Azureus for instance) that let the user choose between
SI and non-SI units. Why couldn't you?

Over and out.