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The term 'kilobyte' has traditionally been used to refer to 1024 bytes (2 10 B). [5] [6] [7] The usage of the metric prefix kilo for binary multiples arose as a convenience, because 1024 is approximately 1000. [8] The binary interpretation of metric prefixes is still prominently used by the Microsoft Windows operating system. [9]
Commonly, a decimal SI metric prefix (such as kilo-) is used with bit and byte to express larger sizes (kilobit, kilobyte). But, this is usually inaccurate since these prefixes are decimal, whereas binary hardware size is usually binary. Customarily, each metric prefix, 1000 n, is used to mean a close approximation of a binary multiple, 1024 n ...
In the context of computing, the metric prefixes are often intended to mean something other than their normal meaning. For example, a kilobyte is actually 1024 bytes even though the standard meaning of kilo is 1000. And, mega normally means one million, but in computing is often used to mean 2 20 = 1 048 576. The table below illustrates the ...
An alternative system of nomenclature for the same units (referred to here as the customary convention), in which 1 kilobyte (KB) is equal to 1,024 bytes, [38] [39] [40] 1 megabyte (MB) is equal to 1024 2 bytes and 1 gigabyte (GB) is equal to 1024 3 bytes is mentioned by a 1990s JEDEC standard. Only the first three multiples (up to GB) are ...
On the other hand, a hard disk whose capacity is specified by the manufacturer as "10 gigabytes" or "10 GB", holds 10 × 10 9 = 10 000 000 000 bytes, or a little more than that, but less than 10 × 2 30 = 10 737 418 240 and a file whose size is listed as "2.3 GB" may have a size closer to 2.3 × 2 30 ≈ 2 470 000 000 or to 2.3 × 10 9 = 2 300 ...
First use of GB in a decimal sense in this HDD marketing survey; Figure 1 states "FIXED DISK DRIVES more than 1 GB" market size as $10,786.6 million. Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary (1987) has binary definitions for kilobyte and megabyte. kilo byte n [from the fact that 1024 (2 10) is the power of 2 closest to 1000] (1970): 1024 bytes
For example, in citations of main memory or RAM capacity, kilobyte, megabyte and gigabyte customarily mean 1024 (2 10), 1 048 576 (2 20) and 1 073 741 824 (2 30) bytes respectively. In the specifications of hard disk drive capacities and network transmission bit rates , decimal prefixes are used.
As 1024 (2 10) is approximately 1000 (10 3), roughly corresponding to SI multiples, it was used for binary multiples as well. In 1998 the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) published standards for binary prefixes , requiring that the gigabyte strictly denote 1000 3 bytes and gibibyte denote 1024 3 bytes.