[plug] billion (was Unix Epoch: 1 billion seconds breakfast function.)

[skribe]

On Wed,  5 Sep 2001 11:06, John Knight wrote:

> I previously didn't have time to explain myself more effectively. The
> English language certainly is "frenchied" but I can see the US using 10^9
> simply because the English didn't.

I feel it is more plausible that it was a term adopted by accountants, 
bureaucrats and to a lesser extent the filthy rich.  It's much harder to have 
a billion bucks if your billion is 10^12.

skribe
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