User:Shmget/Proposal

Template for byte quantities
The current WP:MOSNUM, regarding binary prefix, recommend to "stay with established usage, and follow the lead of the first major contributor to the article." and also suggest that "The use of parentheses for binary prefixes "Example: 256 KB (KiB)". As WP:MOSNUM state, "There is currently no consensus as to whether common binary prefixes or the IEC-recommended prefixes should be used in Wikipedia articles.". That lead to chronic edit war and lengthy arguments. The acceptance of the IEC notation has been slow, both in the industry and in the public at large, and it is reasonable to think that is will still take significant time, years in not decades, before the usage is settled.

This proposal attempt to eliminate few of the most commons objections raised during the debates on this topic. These are, in no particular order


 * Wikipedia is an encyclopedia and therefore exactitude and precise standard conformance are paramount
 * Wikipedia is the reflect of the world as it is not as it 'should' be.
 * Legacy hardware have all their reference materials written using usual notation therefore IEC notation are confusing
 * Non-specialist user is confused when seeing S.I prefix used with a different value than their expected meaning

and of course, at the end of the day, a lot of the arguing is motivated by a very strong force : personal taste.

The following templates Template:KiB Template:MiB Template:GiB Template:TiB are proposed. They take 2 positional parameters. The first one is the size itself, a number. the second is an optional unit.

For example: If an editor has no preference he would defer to the template, which should reflect the then current consensus. In this current version of the tempalte version that would give: -> 16 KB (KiB)

If an editor whish to use the traditional notation, he would use -> 16 KB

A benefit of the few extra characters is that it make apparent to any other editors that the editor knew that KB was a binary prefix in this context, and that he belive that it still should be represented as traditional notation.

But the main feature of these templates is that they are wirtten in such a way that a user can customized is environment in order to see these units in his favorite representation.. Indeed, thanks the good work of User:Mike Dillon, a small piece of javascript can be used by any user who want to see only his favorite notation.

for example: var byteSuffixes = { "kib": "KiB", "mib": "MiB", "gib": "GiB", "tib": "TiB" }; importScript('User:Mike Dillon/Scripts/byteQuantities.js'); to have only IEC unit displayed or var byteSuffixes = { "kib": "KB", "mib": "MB", "gib": "GB", "tib": "TB" }; importScript('User:Mike Dillon/Scripts/byteQuantities.js'); to have only traditional unit display.

Note that it will not impact the place where the unit HAS to be one way or the other for the article to make sens, like for instance in binary prefix, since only the text using the template will be impacted.

The proposal is as follows:


 * That these template be mentionned in WP:MOSNUM
 * That on pages relating to legacy hardware/software, the main editors be encouraged to use them in order to indicate the consensus on the page and to clarify to other editor that the choice of unit is purposeful and not an oversight.
 * That editors in general do not fight the usage of such template, so long as their introduction do not change the normal appearance of the page (that is without any javascript helpers)
 * That the existence of the technique based on javascript be mentioned so that user that have a strong opinion on the matter can satisfy their preference.

The current form of the Template is not necessarely part of this proposal. The only characteristic of the template that are part of the proposal is the use of the class attribute in order to make the javascript substitution technique works cleanly. -- Shmget 04:22, 26 May 2007 (UTC)