[fitsbits] The meaning and use of nonphysical FITS units {External} {External} {External}

[Barrett, Paul]

Steve,

Please explain to me how use cases are exclusive and not inclusive?

 -- Paul



On Fri, Jun 6, 2025 at 1:21 PM Steve Allen via fitsbits <
fitsbits at listmgr.nrao.edu> wrote:

> On Fri 2025-06-06T11:20:13-0400 Barrett, Paul via fitsbits hath writ:
> > I must disagree that my question is beyond the FITS specification. Good
> > software design provides use cases that are used to inform and define the
> > specification. They help to illuminate corner cases that the software
> needs
> > to properly handle. Otherwise, the software will produce nonsense in
> these
> > situations. So I am basically asking a use case question and how it
> informs
> > and defines the FITS specification.
>
> FITS aims at being inclusive not exclusive, descriptive rather than
> prescriptive.  FITS allows me to transcribe data from tables in
> historical literature into FITS table extensions even though the
> authors of those tables used concepts and units which were unclear to
> them at the time and have since been redefined in common usage.
>
> FITS can never fix that kind of problem of "what do these data really
> mean?", but it should not prevent their preservation and transfer.
>
> --
> Steve Allen                    <sla at ucolick.org>              WGS-84 (GPS)
> UCO/Lick Observatory--ISB 260  Natural Sciences II, Room 165  Lat
> +36.99855
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>
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