On Sunday, April 12, 2020 at 12:47:58 AM UTC-10, Cindy Hamilton wrote:
> On Saturday, April 11, 2020 at 6:36:44 PM UTC-4, dsi1 wrote:
> > On Saturday, April 11, 2020 at 8:12:44 AM UTC-10, Cindy Hamilton wrote:
> > > On Saturday, April 11, 2020 at 1:44:47 PM UTC-4, dsi1 wrote:
> > > > On Friday, April 10, 2020 at 11:57:49 PM UTC-10, Cindy Hamilton wrote:
> > > > > On Friday, April 10, 2020 at 4:06:19 PM UTC-4, dsi1 wrote:
> > > > > > On Friday, April 10, 2020 at 4:41:20 AM UTC-10, Cindy Hamilton wrote:
> > > > > > > On Friday, April 10, 2020 at 10:32:43 AM UTC-4, Dave Smith wrote:
> > > > > > > > On 2020-04-10 6:08 a.m., dsi1 wrote:
> > > > > > > > > On Thursday, April 9, 2020 at 10:46:08 PM UTC-10, Pamela wrote:
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > >> It's not just weight and measures but also design and engineering
> > > > > > > > >> where working in sixteenths, standard guage and thou is far more
> > > > > > > > >> awkard than in decimals.
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > My guess is that a base ten system is not intrinsically easier to
> > > > > > > > > work with than any other system. A base 16 system would easily work.
> > > > > > > > > The trouble comes from making calculations using only 9 numbers and
> > > > > > > > > zero in other base systems.
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > It could be pretty simple using a base of 16. Let's suppose that it
> > > > > > > > takes 16/16ths to make one unit and call it a toe. Then it takes 16 toes
> > > > > > > > to make a shin, 16 shins to make a thigh, 16 thighs to make a shin.
> > > > > > > > However, if we do the same with this 16 base that they did with Imperial
> > > > > > > > they would screw it all up. It would be more like 16/16ths for a toe, 12
> > > > > > > > toes to a shin, 3 shins to a thigh, 5280 shins to a thigh.....
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > It's much easier to work in twelves than sixteens. 16 doesn't divide nicely
> > > > > > > into thirds, whereas 12 does.
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > I started using metric measurements when I found it a daunting task
> > > > > > > > > to divide an 11" sheet of paper into 3 equal parts.
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > How precise did you need to be, dsi1? 11/3 is approximately 3 and 11/16 inches. Off by about 0.0625 inch.
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > Cindy Hamilton
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Why do you want to mix up base numbers and fractions? That's just asking for trouble and the reason why calculating with inches is so difficult. What the heck is 15 11/16" divided by 3? Beats the crap out of me.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > It's good to go for precision when laying out pages. Otherwise, I suppose one could just eyeball it. That wouldn't be very professional, would it?
> > > > >
> > > > > There's software for that.
> > > > >
> > > > > Better still, measure the paper in picas.
> > > > >
> > > > > Cindy Hamilton
> > > >
> > > > Back in the early eighties, there wasn't software for that.
> > >
> > > Sure there was. I was in publishing then, and our typesetters had
> > > exactly that sort of software.
> > >
> > > Cindy Hamilton
> >
> > Well I sure didn't have access to any of that stuff. What year were you using this software? There were some word processing programs before the eighties but I didn't have any of that either. Back in the early days, we uses a linotype machine or a Selectric Composer to set or create camera ready type. As far as I know, there were no publishing programs back then. Setting type is not the same thing as creating layouts for printing.
>
> I wasn't using the software. Our outside typesetting service was. This
> would have been between 1978 and 1984.
>
> Your practical solution would have been to obtain a rule marked in picas.
> There are 66 picas in 11 inches, easily divisible by three.
>
> If I turned out every drawer in my house and workshop, I probably could
> still find my pica pole:
>
> <https://omnitopia.us/products/12-stainless-steel-pica-pole-ruler-inch-and-picas>
>
> Cindy Hamilton

My practical solution was to use metric measurements. Did you actually do any production work? My guess is that it's real easy for people that don't have to do the actual work.