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Webcomic: Politically correct kilobytes

March 10, 2008, 6:41 AM PDT

Takeaway: So, is a kilobyte 1024 bytes, or 1000 bytes? Is it abbreviated KB, or kB, or something else entirely? In the spirit of the election season, xkcd has brought a slate of kilobyte candidates to the table for your approval.

So, is a kilobyte 1024 bytes, or 1000 bytes? Is it abbreviated KB, or kB, or something else entirely? In the spirit of the election season, xkcd has brought a slate of kilobyte candidates to the table for your approval.

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Jay Garmon has a vast and terrifying knowledge of all things obscure, obtuse, and irrelevant. One day, he hopes to write science fiction, but for now he'll settle for something stranger -- amusing and abusing IT pros.

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Kilo = 1000

RFink 14th Mar 2008

Okay, So a byte is 8 bits. Therefore a kb is 8000 bits. However a kibyte is 8192 bits.

I don't see what the size of the byte has to do with whether a Kb is 1000 or 1024.

Remember the nibble? 4 bits. The half nibble is on sale. Only 2 bits.

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What's the frequency Kenneth?

boomchuck1 14th Mar 2008

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You guys all missed the boat on compression techniques

jwlindsey@... Updated - 14th Mar 2008

After careful research I finally figured out that are actually only two methods of byte compression.

1. The first method uses a variable pitch trash compactor approach. This is the common method used for such files as MP3, MP4, WMV, ZIP, RAR, PDF, etc. The number of bytes doesn't really change but the amount of compression is the ratio of the compacted file size vs the original size. The amount of compression is based on two factors. One is the force used to squeeze the bytes together. The other is the amount of 1's and 0' in the original file. Since a 1 has more mass that a 0, it is more difficult to compress a file with more 1's. The percentage of compression is calculated by the ratio of the compressed file size (as in cubic nanometers) to it's original size.

2. The second method uses a special dehydrator to reduce the size of the bytes. The resulting files can only be used in equipment that uses water-cooled plumbing hardware. Some of the water used for cooling is siphoned off to be used to rehydrate the compressed files when they are ready to be used.

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