Re: Bits

[Will P. <pa...@dc...>]

Joel S writes:

> The term "bits" appears throughout the Arusha documentation. For example, on
> the "Arusha Project package management" page
> <http://ark.sourceforge.net/pkg-mgmt.html#terminology>, you define a package
> in terms of bits:  "A 'package' is a logically coherent bundle of bits
> promulgated by a team that represent some sysadmin 'added value.'"
> 
> As an American working with computers, I assumed that these bits were binary
> digits--literally the ones and zeroes that compose a package.  Then my
> British neighbor spoke of needing some bits to repair his car.
> 
> Now I wonder whether a package is a bundle of binary digits or a bundle of
> small pieces.

I will clarify all uses of the words 'bit' and 'bits' :-) (I
have a dubious linguistic heritage, so blame it on my early
childhood!)

A package is (ultimately) "binary digits".  It may be
"logically coherent" but not "co-located" (see "dchunks").
For example, a package "apache-config-intranet" may include
an http.conf (which gets put in one place), and a boot
script (which gets put in /etc/init.d/), and you might even
count the http and https lines in /etc/services (those are
bits, too...) as part of that package -- they all {go, are
managed} together (logically coherent), even if they don't
live together on a live system.

Will