Subj : New one
To   : Deon George
From : Michiel van der Vlist
Date : Fri Oct 09 2020 10:56:57

Hello Deon,

On Friday October 09 2020 09:42, you wrote to me:

 DG> Yup, any "x" bit number (where X is divisable by 8) is representable
 DG> as a hex number.

Nope. There is no such limitation on "x". /Any/ "x" bit number is representable as a hex number. Even more: Any "x" bit number is representable in any base. Binairy, tetral, octal, decimal, duodecimal, hexadecimal or whatever. I can write numbers in base 32 bij using the digits 0-9 and the letters A-V. Or in base 36 bij using 0-9 + A-Z. The size of the base is only limited by the number of glyphs available for the "digits". If I also use the Cyrillic alfabet, I can write in base 69. Not easy to read, but mathematically there is no limitation.

 MV>> If mailers and tossers think at all, which is questionable, they
 MV>> think in nodenumbers, which are almost always represented to the
 MV>> human in decimal.

 DG> Yeah, but they lay out packets to be sent using filesnames that are
 DG> named with a hex value, to represent the destination for the file.

Some software does that. Your point?

 MV>> f1d0 is "hex speak", directed at the human, not the machine.

 DG> Its cool isnt it that we can make a representable word from hex.

 MV>> Anyway, you are breaking the convention and that can be
 MV>> confusing. In your case it is clear because there is an "alfa
 MV>> digit" in one of the hex number groups, but there are plenty of
 MV>> hex numbers that only have the digits 0-9. How is the reader
 MV>> going to know if it is hex or decimal?

 DG> Why do they need to know? If I went with SLAAC, it would be even more
 DG> confusing right?

SLAAC numbers do not have the "f1d0" marker in the first 16 bits of the host part.

Look, it is just a game among the members of the Fidonet IPv6 club. If you want to be a spoilsport and play your own game by using hex instead of decimal for the node number part, then ... then you are on your own...


'Nough said...


Cheers, Michiel

--- GoldED+/W32-MSVC 1.1.5-b20170303
 * Origin: he.net certified sage (2:280/5555)

.