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Ask HN: Why isn't data in motion universally measured in bits?

1•WarOnPrivacy•5h ago
Data at rest (as in storage) is reliably measured in bytes.

But data in motion is measured in bits in most places (ISPs) and in bytes in others (some networking gear).

For data in motion, bytes feels like a divergence from the widely accepted standard.

Maybe there are good reasons. Why are bytes chosen where bits are commonly expected? (Looking at you TrueNAS.)

Comments

sargstuff•3h ago
Bit/byte context somewhat what historically linked to minimum unit for given medium.[0] ISPs generally deal with sending/delivering 'raw' data as bits with no symbolism. vs. networking gear deals with subgroups bits in 'ascii/utf-8 byte sizes' within network data protocol. historically, electrical waves vs. what symbols electrical waves represent.

From TrueNAS/harddrive perspective, bits physical medium, bytes 'data as used by end user'

-----------------------

[0] : https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/computer-networks/difference-b...

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