Kilobyte is precisely 1000 bytes
This article dives into the long-standing confusion surrounding the definition of a kilobyte, asserting that its precise meaning is 1000 bytes, not 1024. It clarifies the historical and practical reasons for the 1024-byte convention in computing while advocating for the standardized decimal prefixes. The piece appeals to the HN crowd's love for technical accuracy and dispelling common misconceptions.
The Lowdown
The article tackles a perennial point of contention in computing: whether a kilobyte is 1000 or 1024 bytes. It argues that, strictly speaking, a kilobyte is precisely 1000 bytes, contrasting this with the common usage of 1024, particularly within memory contexts. This discrepancy often leads to confusion, especially for non-technical users.
- The 1024 Convention: Computers operate in binary (base 2), making powers of 2 natural for memory addressing. 1024 (2^10) was adopted as a convenient approximation for 'kilo' due to its proximity to 1000.
- Growing Inaccuracy: While the difference is small for kilobytes, the proportional inaccuracy between decimal (powers of 10) and binary (powers of 2) prefixes significantly increases with larger units, such as megabytes, gigabytes, and terabytes.
- Real-World Confusion: This difference is evident when hardware manufacturers (e.g., for HDDs/SSDs) advertise capacity using decimal units, while operating systems often report it using binary units, leading users to believe they have 'missing' storage.
- Standardized Units: To resolve this ambiguity, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) introduced distinct binary prefixes, such as kibibyte (KiB) for 1024 bytes, mebibyte (MiB) for 1024^2 bytes, and so on. The article emphasizes that SI prefixes (kB, MB, GB) should strictly refer to powers of 10.
In conclusion, despite the lingering inertia of equating 1 kilobyte to 1024 bytes, the article champions the precise definition of 1000 bytes, highlighting the standardized IEC binary prefixes as the appropriate terminology for powers of two to prevent ongoing confusion.