Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!wuarchive!waikato.ac.nz!comp.vuw.ac.nz!canterbury!otago.ac.nz!stanger Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.apps Subject: Re: Word 4.0 don't like centimetres Message-ID: <1991May1.170701.343@otago.ac.nz> From: stanger@otago.ac.nz (Nigel Stanger) Date: 1 May 91 17:07:01 NZDT References: <605@lysator.liu.se> Distribution: comp.sys.mac.apps Organization: University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand Lines: 39 In article , dana@are.berkeley.edu (Dana E. Keil) writes: > zune@lysator.liu.se (Andreas Magnusson) writes: > >>I was writing my report on Word 4.0 (US version) when I thought that I >>would like to have tabs spaced on centimetres. Though luck! >>I noticed that when I set a tab as near 1 cm as possible, it became 0,9968 >>or something like this. I have noticed this in the Swedish version too. >>Why doesn't Word like cm ? Is it quickdraw, or just because the US still uses >>inches? > > Word does the same thing to inches most of the time. Change your > preferences to inches and you'll see it do the same as it does > to cm -- 2" becomes 1.988" and so forth. No one is really why > this is but there are those who believe that there is a > proprietary measurement system (Microsoftmetres) in place in > anticipation of the day when we a have one world government ruled > by Bill Gates. ;-) It's really rather simple - by default, Word *actually* measures everything in points, and when you use something different it converts the measurements (correct me if I'm wrong, but that's the way I understood it). One point is 1/72" = 0.0138888888... In centimetres that is roughly 0.03472222... So, there you have it. I don't think Microsoft will be able to take over the world until it can convert between units better (perhaps I should crosspost this to alt.conspiracy? :-) -- See ya Nigel. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Nigel Stanger, Internet: stanger@otago.ac.nz c/o University of Otago, P.O. Box 56, Phone: +64 3 479-8179 Dunedin, NEW ZEALAND. Fax: +64 3 479-8311 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- "If I had a quote, I'd be wearing it." -- Bob Dylan ----------------------------------------------------------------------