Subject: Re: "k"bytes or "K"bytes?
To: None <tech-kern@netbsd.org>
From: der Mouse <mouse@Rodents.Montreal.QC.CA>
List: tech-kern
Date: 10/24/1999 11:21:22
> A minor nit - when we use an abbreviation for "kilo", should we use
> the lower case "k" or upper case "K"?  A little search which
> altavista shows that "k" is the correct abbreviation, yet we seem to
> use "K" in various places.

My take on it is - it doesn't matter.

I have seen it said that proper SI usage is to use upper case for
positive powers of ten (deca-, hecta-, kilo-, mega-, etc) and lower
case for negative powers of ten (deci-, centi-, milli-, micro-, etc).

Since there is no negative power of ten for "k", there is no ambiguity,
so in a practical sense it doesn't matter.  Since many-to-most of our
uses of K (or k) are for 1024 rather than 1000 anyway, we are bending
the SI rules already, so I'm inclined to ignore the whole issue.

					der Mouse

			       mouse@rodents.montreal.qc.ca
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