This issue tracker has been migrated to GitHub, and is currently read-only.
For more information, see the GitHub FAQs in the Python's Developer Guide.

classification
Title: Base 16 should be hexadecimal in Unicode HOWTO
Type: enhancement Stage: resolved
Components: Documentation Versions: Python 3.2, Python 3.3, Python 2.7
process
Status: closed Resolution: rejected
Dependencies: Superseder:
Assigned To: ezio.melotti Nosy List: Ramchandra Apte, docs@python, eric.araujo, ezio.melotti, georg.brandl, mark.dickinson, sandro.tosi, terry.reedy
Priority: normal Keywords:

Created on 2012-01-16 12:50 by Ramchandra Apte, last changed 2022-04-11 14:57 by admin. This issue is now closed.

Messages (7)
msg151354 - (view) Author: Ramchandra Apte (Ramchandra Apte) * Date: 2012-01-16 12:50
"base 16" should be "hexadecimal" in the Unicode HOWTO in both Python 2 and 3 docs.
msg151437 - (view) Author: Ezio Melotti (ezio.melotti) * (Python committer) Date: 2012-01-17 10:00
Do you mean the "base 16" in this sentence: "A code point is an integer value, usually denoted in base 16."?
Why would "hexadecimal" be better than "base 16"?
msg163893 - (view) Author: Éric Araujo (eric.araujo) * (Python committer) Date: 2012-06-25 05:14
I think that when I started programming I was exposed to “hexadecimal” (e.g. HTML character references can use decimal or hexadecimal numbers) before understanding the generic principle of bases for numbers, so I’m sympathetic to the request.  Terry, Sandro, do you have feedback on that?
msg163912 - (view) Author: Terry J. Reedy (terry.reedy) * (Python committer) Date: 2012-06-25 08:14
I learned about different number bases in 8th grade math class (a long time ago) and how to use base 2 to win nim. I learned 'octal' and 'hexadecimal' much later. In the absence of an official, documented vocabulary for such non-Python concepts, I think this should be closed as overly picky and based on an erroneous premise. In any case, programmers should know both terms. Anyone with a deficient math education can look up 'base 16' on Wikipedia and be redirected to hexadecimal as a synonym and read an article that is much longer than one might expect, with more detail than most would want to know.

A more obscure term that one might more reasonably object to is 'radix', as in 'radix 16', as a synonym for 'base'.
msg163914 - (view) Author: Georg Brandl (georg.brandl) * (Python committer) Date: 2012-06-25 08:17
±0 from me.
msg163917 - (view) Author: Mark Dickinson (mark.dickinson) * (Python committer) Date: 2012-06-25 08:51
I was tempted to suggest that 'hexadecimal' would be more searchable than 'base 16', but the first Google hit for 'base 16' is:

  en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hexadecimal

:-)
msg168636 - (view) Author: Sandro Tosi (sandro.tosi) * (Python committer) Date: 2012-08-20 08:36
I tend to agree with Terry that this report can be closed: base 16 is quite known and it's high likely that if you know what hexadecimal is, you also aware of the concept of "base X" and viceversa.

If no-one objects, I'd just close it.
History
Date User Action Args
2022-04-11 14:57:25adminsetgithub: 58008
2012-08-20 21:40:58terry.reedysetstatus: open -> closed
resolution: rejected
stage: resolved
2012-08-20 08:36:28sandro.tosisetmessages: + msg168636
2012-06-25 08:51:50mark.dickinsonsetnosy: + mark.dickinson
messages: + msg163917
2012-06-25 08:17:39georg.brandlsetnosy: + georg.brandl
messages: + msg163914
2012-06-25 08:14:30terry.reedysetmessages: + msg163912
2012-06-25 05:14:38eric.araujosetnosy: + sandro.tosi
messages: + msg163893
2012-02-03 14:13:23eric.araujosetnosy: + eric.araujo
2012-01-21 02:34:10terry.reedysetnosy: + terry.reedy
2012-01-17 10:00:56ezio.melottisetversions: - Python 2.6, Python 3.1
nosy: + ezio.melotti

messages: + msg151437

assignee: docs@python -> ezio.melotti
2012-01-16 12:50:45Ramchandra Aptecreate