wait, not what that means

[rmd]

Sometimes, when I see the abbreviation "G" outside of a network bandwidth context, I parse it as "Grand". But, no, it's "Gig", which is much bigger.

(the immediate context was "max transactions per second: 4 G tps", and I thought "that's not very many... oh, wait, yes it is.")

Comments

[llachglin.livejournal.com]

This is why it's important to have a good editor who can apply a clear and consistent style to abbreviations. It's as if some people think that the letter B is scarce so we have to conserve it.

[ceo]

I observed a long time ago that Boston Globe headlines abbreviate e.g $20,000 as 20K, while Boston Herald headlines use 20G. I have to remember that they don't mean gigabucks. (Actual gigabucks are $20b in both cases.)

[galestorm.livejournal.com]

I first noticed 'tps' and thought, er, _that_ many rolls of toilet paper?, but then looked at 'transactions per second' and thought, ooookay! :-)