Author Topic: Connection speed units  (Read 1774 times)

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Offline DorkeyDear

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Connection speed units
« on: May 16, 2010, 05:22:16 pm »
Soldat Setup (Config.exe in the Soldat directory) > Network > Server > Internet connection speed

The units are simply "K" or "M" in the dropdown menu. Some companies use bits ("b"), while bytes ("B") are more common (generally) amongst the people (note how "b" is sometimes misused to mean byte when people are lazy or don't know better). I suggest having it labeled with the "B" there, so it is clear what it represents.

I personally find it easier to read having a space between the numeric value and the unit, but that's less important.

Just a thing of interest: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binary_prefix
IEC provides prefixes that remove the ambiguity of "kilo" meaning either 1000 or 1024 (depending on the context), which include kibi (Ki), mebi (Mi), gibi (Gi), among others; but because those are less commonly known to people, I'd stick to the JEDEC or SI, being kilo (k), mega (M), giga (G), not that giga/gibi is used at all in this purpose. Just a note: "kilo" is represented by a lowercase "k" if representing 1000, or an uppercase "K" if representing 1024; according to wiki at least. I actually never knew that until now, thought they both were lowercase. Guess I learned something new! :D

So what it would look like:
Modem > 14. 4 KB
ISDN > 56.6 KB
DSL > 128 KB
T1 > 1 MB
« Last Edit: May 16, 2010, 05:24:21 pm by DorkeyDear »

Offline -Major-

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Re: Connection speed units
« Reply #1 on: May 16, 2010, 06:11:18 pm »
what? I really don't get your suggestion...

K = Kilos(1000) and M = mega (1000.000), it all indicates to bites to marking for bites isn't very necessary. where as even your explanation would say it should say Kb and not KB.
you see, computers uses 2^x to calculate values, and 2^10 = 1024. so whatever you calculate with 1000 will come off when you convert it to 1024...
which is why you buy a hdd that says like "320gb" but you get like, maybe 312 or something. it is the same size, but you might think it's not... cuz it's in diffrent things....


it is quite late and I'm tired, but it sounds logical to me that 56K would be 56 bites counting on a 1000 (as 10) instead of 1024(as 10), which would make the variation of 1024 slightly higher, hence the .6 (except that 56K in 1000 would be 57.344 in 1024). now this last part might be completely bulls**t, I'm just talking out of my ass.


NEWAY, as 10th_account said, useless stuff ;o
« Last Edit: May 16, 2010, 06:42:57 pm by -Major- »

Offline 10th_account

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Re: Connection speed units
« Reply #2 on: May 16, 2010, 06:22:51 pm »
While we're on the subject of that pointless piece of server meta data, can't it be removed altogether? The vast majority of people play on dedicated servers, and there's no shortage on those. People new to the game shouldn't have to bother with that setting. And some more seemingly unused settings are "Backbuffer Count" and "Refresh rate."

Just my take on it from a HCI perspective.

Offline FliesLikeABrick

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Re: Connection speed units
« Reply #3 on: May 16, 2010, 08:39:35 pm »

So what it would look like:
Modem > 14. 4 KB
ISDN > 56.6 KB
DSL > 128 KB
T1 > 1 MB


This is funny because you got it wrong.  Those all should be lowercase b (T1 is only 1.5megabits, dial-up is 14.4Kb not B, etc)

I agree with skoskav, it should just be removed at some point, maybe with the next Soldat release that accompanies an update to the lobby.  If not removed, it should be updated to modern day connections based on line speed, not connection type.

Offline DorkeyDear

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Re: Connection speed units
« Reply #4 on: May 16, 2010, 09:08:26 pm »
@Major: byte*, and my main point was the lack of a "b" / "B"

@10th_account: great point... does anybody even look at it to begin with?

@ FLAB: Google disagrees. But even if Google is wrong, still lacks a b altogether, which was my main point.
And some random google search:
b = bit, B = byte, Kb = kilobyte, kb = kilobit; wow is this really a standard? They fricken swap capitals and lower of the prefix to change the base unit that makes no sense!
I vote for: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IEEE_1541-2002 - b=bit, B=byte, Ki=kibi, Mi=mebi, Gi=gibi, etc so theres absolutely no ambiguity (yes i know that disregards my statement in my first post where i said we should not use this :P)
I guess nothing is clear anymore in today's society.. :P

In my opinion unrelated to binary-specific stuff, but units altogether: Either 1) remove all those prefixes altogether, or 2) make the prefixes units themselves, so define k = kilo = 1000; then 5*kilo*meter = 5*k*m = 5*1000*m = 5000*m (usually multiplication sign left out tho, but heck you may even think of it as it's own special thing, not just multiplication, as long as you can do the math it don't matter :P but thats unrelated); i guess this won't work for non-linear related units... but those shouldn't exist to begin with... hehe nvm ignore this whole paragraph here :D kuz they can help i guess
« Last Edit: May 16, 2010, 09:34:05 pm by DorkeyDear »

Offline -Major-

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Re: Connection speed units
« Reply #5 on: May 17, 2010, 09:16:20 am »
@Major: byte*, and my main point was the lack of a "b" / "B"
there isn't supposed to be and "bytes" in this talk, it's highly irrelevant.

In my opinion unrelated to binary-specific stuff, but units altogether: Either 1) remove all those prefixes altogether, or 2) make the prefixes units themselves, so define k = kilo = 1000; then 5*kilo*meter = 5*k*m = 5*1000*m = 5000*m (usually multiplication sign left out tho, but heck you may even think of it as it's own special thing, not just multiplication, as long as you can do the math it don't matter :P but thats unrelated); i guess this won't work for non-linear related units... but those shouldn't exist to begin with... hehe nvm ignore this whole paragraph here :D kuz they can help i guess
8 bit = 1 byte

1024 byte = 1 kilo byte (or I guess, formally kibi byte)
1024 kilo byte = 1 mega byte
1024 mega byte = 1 gigabtye...

if you would count 10 bit = 1 byte and only count to 1000 on each of those steps, you would end up with quite off numbers. it is important to stay to whatever format computers works on, which is base of 2.

Offline DorkeyDear

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Re: Connection speed units
« Reply #6 on: May 18, 2010, 11:41:48 am »
@Major: byte*, and my main point was the lack of a "b" / "B"
there isn't supposed to be and "bytes" in this talk, it's highly irrelevant.
I don't understand.
Let me rephrase my statement to: ... my main point was the lack of the symbol for bits or bytes.

In my opinion unrelated to binary-specific stuff, but units altogether: Either 1) remove all those prefixes altogether, or 2) make the prefixes units themselves, so define k = kilo = 1000; then 5*kilo*meter = 5*k*m = 5*1000*m = 5000*m (usually multiplication sign left out tho, but heck you may even think of it as it's own special thing, not just multiplication, as long as you can do the math it don't matter :P but thats unrelated); i guess this won't work for non-linear related units... but those shouldn't exist to begin with... hehe nvm ignore this whole paragraph here :D kuz they can help i guess
8 bit = 1 byte

1024 byte = 1 kilo byte (or I guess, formally kibi byte)
1024 kilo byte = 1 mega byte
1024 mega byte = 1 gigabtye...

if you would count 10 bit = 1 byte and only count to 1000 on each of those steps, you would end up with quite off numbers. it is important to stay to whatever format computers works on, which is base of 2.
It think we all know what a byte and a bit are defined as :D (despite how the wiki says a byte isn't necessarily defined as 8 bits; ignore that, we all know it is :P).
nvm ignore this whole paragraph here
I was rambling about another unrelated topic. :P

Offline 10th_account

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Re: Connection speed units
« Reply #7 on: May 18, 2010, 02:00:27 pm »
I agree with skoskav, it should just be removed at some point, maybe with the next Soldat release that accompanies an update to the lobby.  If not removed, it should be updated to modern day connections based on line speed, not connection type.

There's no need to wait for a lobby update. Just remove it from config.exe and the lobby GUI. And set it to T1 in the settings file by default.

Offline -Major-

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Re: Connection speed units
« Reply #8 on: May 18, 2010, 05:07:54 pm »
wtf, since when do you measure a connection by bytes? how can you not be sure if it's bits or bytes?

Offline DorkeyDear

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Re: Connection speed units
« Reply #9 on: May 18, 2010, 10:26:47 pm »
I agree with skoskav, it should just be removed at some point, maybe with the next Soldat release that accompanies an update to the lobby.  If not removed, it should be updated to modern day connections based on line speed, not connection type.

There's no need to wait for a lobby update. Just remove it from config.exe and the lobby GUI. And set it to T1 in the settings file by default.
F12 until its removed altogether, or forgotten :P