Bits, not bytes

[ColinR]

The thing that boggles my mind even more is why ICASA can't be even remotely as efficient as the ASA.

 

[guest2013-1]

Thanx


This is the first I heard of it.


Always wondered why I only get a top speed of only 38 or 39 kb/s on my 384k connection.

Math usually doesn't factor in things like signal loss, signal quality, copper length and several other bits and bobs inbetween.

48Kb/s is the true speed of a 384 line, but you have to count in the contention ratio etc as well, I usually work out max*80% which should give you a realistic expectation on speed received.

 

[marine1]

I'm not sure what exactly Mr. Porter-Smith wanted to achieve by lodging a complaint with the ASA? Surely a call to Cybersmart, informing them of their error, would have sufficed?

Why some South Africans always need to create drama, boggles the mind.

Why companies that are supposed to be experts on what they are selling can wither lie or not know what they are doing is what boggles the mind.
I hope they get fined.
Bloody idiots.

 

[LCBXX]

Math usually doesn't factor in things like signal loss, signal quality, copper length and several other bits and bobs inbetween.

48Kb/s is the true speed of a 384 line, but you have to count in the contention ratio etc as well, I usually work out max*80% which should give you a realistic expectation on speed received.

39.8-40Kb/s is the maximum, since you have things like IP overhead.

 

[ld13]

I'm not sure what exactly Mr. Porter-Smith wanted to achieve by lodging a complaint with the ASA? Surely a call to Cybersmart, informing them of their error, would have sufficed?

Why some South Africans always need to create drama, boggles the mind.

What drama? No one created drama. You just submit a report to the ASA and *bam*, reaction. You try doing the same thing by calling them - this is SA, they'd probably not do a thing about it for weeks/months ... if they even do something about it. Viva ASA!

In any case, I expect a company that are professionals in their line of work (like ISPs) to know the basics that pertain to their specific industry.

 

[ambo]

384 Kilo bits = 48 Kilo Bytes
So you'll get about 48kB/s download speed with a 384Kbit line

Bits is with a small 'b' and bytes is with a big 'B'.... while we all busy being anal

 

[ponder]

On the dota server if you in a game that lags and you ask them what line they have. The answer is always the same.

"I have a 4 Meg line"

Never ever hear someone say they have a 4Mbit line.

"4 Meg" from their side is just an abbreviation and could mean 4 Megabits or 4 MegaBytes.

The general public however does not know their bits from their Bytes. This does not excuse false advertising though.

 

[vodacom3g]

Bits is with a small 'b' and bytes is with a big 'B'.... while we all busy being anal

Seems we are.

While it's technically correct that line speeds are quoted in b/s and not B/s, as some have posted above when we speak of speeds it's naturally assumed that the numbers refer to the bit-rate.

Just like engine capacity is normally quoted in cc (cubic centimeters) but we seldom actually append it to any number. I.e. I drive a 1300 or a 1800 or whatever.

So, the average user would just use the number irrespective of the unit. And be quite blasé about it.

Being involved in the marketing process, I can tell you it's amazing how little things slip through. Especially if you know the subject, you tend to read over your own mistakes. But, it must also be said, external marketing companies mostly produce the ads and they don't always have the technical expertise.

So, while this is an unfortunate (and silly) error, I'm pretty sure there was no malicious intent.

In any case, as ic pointed out, a prior ASA ruling states one cannot actually make any speed claims. Telkom had it turned over (incorrectly, I believe) but I assume it only pertains to them not to the other providers.

 

[acidrain]

384KB/s[/B] lines in South Africa.

Who exactly would they have fooled?

Ummm, the telkom 4Mbit line can theoretically do 500KB/s under perfect conditions so the line does exist.

 

[acidrain]

............. and I still dont know what is the dif between a bit and a byte.......

Here you go: A bit is a single numeric value, either '1' or '0', that encodes a single unit of digital information. A byte is a sequence of bits; usually eight bits equal one byte.

 

[Tanarri]

I think the problem is (if it is really such a big deal) as follows:

With regards to computer equipment (excluding communication devices) everything is refered to in bytes. Well, more specifically, storage devices (just examples):

• Flash drives are x GB.
• Hard disks are x GB.
• Single layer DVDs are 4.7 GB
• etc, etc, etc.

Then we get communication devices (again just examples of the MANY different technologies ), which are referred to in bits :

• A (local area) network (wireless/wired) can be x Mbps
• An ADSL line can be x Mbps
• Your old dial-up modem could handle x Kbps.
• etc, etc, etc.

These statements are in some way correct or completely wrong (my disclaimer )

It all gets a little hazy for most people and once you start to distinguish between upload and download speeds you get the 'blank stare.'

 

[Sackboy]

Cybersmart responded saying the incorrect term was used to ‘jog the memories of uninformed Internet users’ and exercise poetic license to rhyme ‘bytes’ with ‘price’.

Poetic justice then from Mr. Porter-Smith. Thank you very much!

 

[buffalobill]

Cheap shot I think. Kinda like calling 384kb broadband.

Precisely. This is an anally retentive complaint that is only of relevance to a few, the BIG issue I believe is broadband - as you say.
Only when we can get an agreed definition of broadband can advertisers claim they have it.

 

[Sackboy]

Ummm, the telkom 4Mbit line can theoretically do 500KB/s under perfect conditions so the line does exist.

For them to advertise it, the average user should be able to obtain it for a fair proportion of the time. This is where they fail the test.

 

[biometrics]

I can't stand it when bits and bytes are mixed up, it is a pet peeve.

So when this Cybersmart advert started playing regularly last year on Cape Talk I complained, the first time to Cape Talk and Primedia on 23 September 2008. Yumnah Hendricks of Cape Talk acknowledged receipt of my complaint.

Not really a complaint but just pointing out that there is 8 bits in 1 byte, a 8X difference. Clearly false advertising.

They continued to run this advert and I notified them again with no response.

In early January I notified Cape Talk and Primedia again and finally a Christina Burger of Primedia made contact (7 January 2009) and said they are only aware of one complaint (mine) and in any case it was warranted because they wanted the text to rhyme:

exercise poetic license to rhyme ‘bytes’ with ‘price’

She said that the Cybersmart MD wanted to phone me to explain. I declined and simply requested that they stop doing this. She said they will pull the advert before the end of January.

By middle February I've had enough of this and reported the matter to the ASA through their web site. They confirmed receipt 11 March 2009. On 25 March 2009 the ASA wrote to me saying they are already dealing with a complaint (other than mine) and warning me that each additional complaint is sent to the advertiser and affords them an additional five days to respond. "This can delay the process" they said!

Anyway, just for the record:

that this was the only complaint received

This is untrue.

[Anal] The shorthand is "B" for Byte and "b" for Bit. Use "K" for Kilo, not "k". Same for Mega, Giga and Terra. Rule of thumb, if it's large use a capital letter, if it's small use a small letter like "ms" for millisecond. E.g. 48 KB/s = 384 Kb/s [/Anal]

 

[acidrain]

For them to advertise it, the average user should be able to obtain it for a fair proportion of the time. This is where they fail the test.

Ok you lost me, my post had no relation to the advert, just a comment to someone else's quote. and 384KB/s is obtainable over quite a good period of time on a 4mb line if that's what you were aiming at.

 

[acidrain]

[Anal] The shorthand is "B" for Byte and "b" for Bit. Use "K" for Kilo, not "k". Same for Mega, Giga and Terra. Rule of thumb, if it's large use a capital letter, if it's small use a small letter like "ms" for millisecond. E.g. 48 KB/s = 384 Kb/s [/Anal]

Since we all being anal over SI symbols... kilo is actually "k".

Factor: 10^3 Name: kilo Symbol: k

"K" is the SI symbol for Kelvin ( a measurement of temperature )

It's just common terminology for computer uses to differentiate with KB and kb, even though its incorrect.

 

[Pyro]

Even more anal? Proper SI term is kibibyte (KiB) in according to IEC standards for 1024 bytes, and mebibyte (MiB) for 1024^2. gibibyte (GiB) holds the 1024^3 mark.

 

[Dark Agent]

128 kilobytes upload will work wonder here

 

[buffalobill]

Ok you lost me, my post had no relation to the advert, just a comment to someone else's quote. and 384KB/s is obtainable over quite a good period of time on a 4mb line if that's what you were aiming at.

Ok, point taken. I'd like someone to come up with a definition of broadband. Everyone talks about it and advertises it, but what is it?