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From: Kai-Martin Knaak <knaak AT iqo DOT uni-hannover DOT de>
Subject: Re: [geda-user] pcb_fprintf mixes mm and mils for same output object
Date: Wed, 27 Jan 2016 21:12:14 +0100
Organization: Institut =?UTF-8?B?ZsO8cg==?= Quantenoptik
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Peter Clifton wrote:

> Mixing metric and imperial is a bit of a mess, but it does make some
> sense.

I beg to disagree. Having all sizes and parameters expressed by the same 
system of units is quite a benefit. This is what drove metrication last 
century. The success of the SI is quite remarkable. Its use is mandatory 
in all but three countries (Burma, Liberia and the US). Hardly any other 
treaty or convention was adopted by that many countries and societies.

Mixing metric and imperial introduces an unnecessary opportunity for 
error. It is an echo of a past when the length of a mile, a yard and the 
inch too, differed by country. Some units and even depended on what they 
referred to. (A mile at sea was a different length than a mile on a 
street...)

If there was an option to have all lengths saved in metric units, I'd 
gladly make sure it is set by default for my projects.

---<)kaimartin(>---
-- 
Kai-Martin Knaak                                  tel: +49-511-762-2895
Universität Hannover, Inst. für Quantenoptik      fax: +49-511-762-2211	
Welfengarten 1, 30167 Hannover           http://www.iqo.uni-hannover.de
GPG key:    http://pgp.mit.edu:11371/pks/lookup?search=Knaak+kmk&op=get