Sorry. First computer to use 8 bits per character. On Sun, Nov 15, 2020 at 11:09 AM Seymour J Metz <sme...@gmu.edu> wrote: > > > You have to remember that S/360 was the first 8 bit computer. > > What is the 7030, chopped liver? > > > -- > Shmuel (Seymour J.) Metz > http://mason.gmu.edu/~smetz3 > > > ________________________________________ > From: IBM Mainframe Discussion List <IBM-MAIN@LISTSERV.UA.EDU> on behalf of > Mike Schwab <mike.a.sch...@gmail.com> > Sent: Saturday, November 14, 2020 9:25 PM > To: IBM-MAIN@LISTSERV.UA.EDU > Subject: Re: Improve OMVS cp performance? > > You have to remember that S/360 was the first 8 bit computer. Prior > computers used 4 bits for a digit and 6 bits for a character. They > designed EBCDIC to be easily converted for use with existing 7 track > tape drives, printers, card and tape readers and punches. There was a > proposed ASCII code that was put on documentation but dropped for the > 370 virtual memory bit in the PSW. > > On Sat, Nov 14, 2020 at 6:39 PM Seymour J Metz <sme...@gmu.edu> wrote: > > > > I doubt that IBM custumers would have been happy with an 8-bit code page > > with only 128 valid code points. International considerations would still > > have forced IBM to device incompatible code pages for different countries. > > > > Obviously 8859 is another Tower of Babel; why do you think I described it > > as "a dollar short"? > > > > No,, IBM could not have implemented full Unicode, or even the full MLP, > > back in the 1960s. But it could certainly have implemented a basic subset > > for all customers and selected additional pages for international > > customers. Had Unicode and UTF-8 been around at the time, I'm certain that > > IBM would have gone that route. > > > > > > -- > > Shmuel (Seymour J.) Metz > > http://mason.gmu.edu/~smetz3 > > > > > > ________________________________________ > > From: IBM Mainframe Discussion List <IBM-MAIN@LISTSERV.UA.EDU> on behalf of > > Paul Gilmartin <0000000433f07816-dmarc-requ...@listserv.ua.edu> > > Sent: Saturday, November 14, 2020 6:22 PM > > To: IBM-MAIN@LISTSERV.UA.EDU > > Subject: Re: Improve OMVS cp performance? > > > > On Sat, 14 Nov 2020 23:00:00 +0000, Seymour J Metz wrote: > > > > >Because there was no standard 8-bit code at the time. IBM did push for an > > >8-bit ASCII, > > > > > That's not an obstacle. DEC PDP-8 stored ASCII characters one per > > 12-bit word. IBM could have simply declared the top bit "reserved" > > as they are so often wont to do. > > > > >but it never happened except for a mapping between octets and punch > > >combinations on cards. Had Unicode been around at the time they would > > >probably have jumped at it. > > > > > >ISO 8859 was a day late and a dollar short. > > > > > ISO-8859-* is afflicted with the same babel as EBCDIC code pages > > because of the "*" you elided. > > > > UTF-8 is the norm nowadays because of a peculiar upward compatibility > > with ASCII. But the mebibytes and megahertz to support it came a day late. > > > > -- gil > > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, > > send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN > > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, > > send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN > > > > -- > Mike A Schwab, Springfield IL USA > Where do Forest Rangers go to get away from it all? > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, > send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, > send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
-- Mike A Schwab, Springfield IL USA Where do Forest Rangers go to get away from it all? ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
