Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!ucsd!ames!uhccux!munnari.oz.au!cluster!metro!natmlab.dap.csiro.au!ditsyda!macuni!mqccsunc!ifarqhar From: ifarqhar@mqccsunc.mqcc.mq.OZ (Ian Farquhar) Newsgroups: comp.lang.postscript Subject: Re: ruler.ps - an inch/point ruler of your very own Message-ID: <126@macuni.mqcc.mq.oz> Date: 19 Jan 90 11:09:49 GMT References: <21772@uflorida.cis.ufl.EDU> <1990Jan14.180821.18711@trigraph.uucp> <17668@rpp386.cactus.org> Sender: news@macuni.mqcc.mq.oz Reply-To: ifarqhar@mqccsunc.mq.oz (Ian Farquhar) Organization: Macquarie University, Sydney Lines: 33 In article <17668@rpp386.cactus.org> woody@rpp386.cactus.org (Woodrow Baker) writes: >I'm curious. What is the measurement name for the metric system, and what >measure does it use. I stand corrected on the 72.3 vs 72.27 It is called the millimetre, and is well defined in a totally reproducable way (as a fraction of the distance light travels in one second). That is one of the many nice things about metric, it does not multiply things unnecessarily. Okkam would have doubtless approved. Of course, that standard excuse I get from printer manufacturers when I challenge them over providing metric units in their printers - particularly laser printers - is that round off errors become a problem. This is total garbage. The processors in even my DP-80 (which for the record are an 8039 and an 8041) are quite powerful enough to handle the fixed point math required. To 68000 in my LC-89-00 at work, measure conversion is child's play. All hail Saint Fubar, parton saint of computer programmers. +-----------------------------------+-------------------------------+ | Ian Farquhar | Phone : (02) 805-7420 (STD) | | Microcomputer Support | (612) 805-7420 (ISD) | | Office of Computing Services | Fax : (02) 805-7433 (STD) | | Macquarie University NSW 2109 | (612) 805-7433 (ISD) | | Australia | Also : 805-7205 | +-----------------------------------+-------------------------------+ | ACSNet ifarqhar@macuni.mqcc.mq.oz | | ifarqhar@mqccsuna.mqcc.mq.oz | +-------------------------------------------------------------------+ D