Y2K

[Paul Mather]

On Wed, 5 Jan 2000, Dave Berry wrote:

=> At 09:11 05/01/00 , Richard Lockwood wrote:
=> >Isn't it ironic that computer users have shortened '2000' to 'Y2K'?  Surely
=> >that was what caused the whole problem in the first place?
=>
=> Especially as 2K is actually 2048.

Not necessarily.  When used in its more familiar sense of "kilo,"
meaning "thousand," e.g., 1 Kg = 1000 grams; 1 Km = 1000 metres; etc.,
it makes perfect sense (Y2K = Y2000).

They advertise 5K and 10K runs around here all the time, but I doubt
they mean 5120 and 10240 metres... ;-)

=> (1K = 2 to the power of 10 = 1024).

But more properly, that's 1 KB.

Cheers,

Paul.

e-mail: paul at gromit.dlib.vt.edu

"Without music to decorate it, time is just a bunch of boring production
 deadlines or dates by which bills must be paid."
        --- Frank Vincent Zappa