I had class from 2 to 9 today. It was rough, but very good. I am taking this LAN Administration class, and for the first day we went over converting all sorts of bases. Like base10 to base2 and all that stuff, and radix’s (sp?), and all sorts of stuff.
We converted by hand so many different things that my brain feels almost numb. Just thought I’d share.
So! I am not alone with the brain hurting syndrome…
It’ll have to come out!
Only… bits of it.
[sub]Sorry. I can resist making Python references most of the time, really. I just have this special warm spot (just to the left of my cockles, i think) for the Gumbies.[/sub]
Sorry, but I have to ask - what does converting bases have to do with LAN admin? I’ll admit I’ve never Admin’d a LAN, but I have worked in tech support, and I’m not aware of anything about Networks or administration that would make this a vital skill - at least not for an entire day’s worth of tuition.
My brain hurts quite frequently.
I think it has something to do with the basic knowledge. When I was taking the first semester for my CCNA we learned how to convert to binary and hex… I never saw any practical use for it myself.
Hiya,
FWIW, converting to/from binary is useful for calculating subnet masks and so on. It’s also useful to be able to set SCSI IDs using jumpers (invariably these are based on binary)
I haven’t really come across a use for hex except on the very rare occasion that I’ve had to use a hex editor to modify a binary file.
Obsidian, I’m surprised you didn’t see a use for binary in a CCNA course. Was subnetting not part of your studies?
Max 
I never did finish the whole thing. I only took the first two semesters because I was curious and they offered it for free (no added cost to usual fees) at my high school. 
I found it wasn’t really my thing actually, which is why I probably never saw a use for it.
The uses of binary, hex, etc, are several. One is the subnet masks that were referred to as well as the SCSI stuff. Additionally, in case you ever see a hex dump, like in Microsoft, you have to be able to read that mix of letters and numbers to fix whatever the problem may be. Additionally, depending on your networking application, like hardware used, etc., some of those conversions are necessary. For instance DEC (Digital Equipment Corporation) has somewhat older systems that still run on base8. Especially for insurance companies. They hold on to the dinosaurs because it was a great investment, and they don’t want to fix what isn’t broken.
One of my few intellectual abilities is being able to convert byte-sized integers between decimal, hex, and binary in my head almost instantly.
It’s actually pretty useful if you do any low-level computing.
Oh - and I know most of the ASCII codes by heart.
I know, I need to get more.