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The Monday 2007-05-07 at 08:07 +0200, jdd wrote:
> > > Wordsize may vary, but bytes are 8 bits.
> > > and nybbles are 4 bits.
> >
> > So say you. Reality differs.
>
> this may be a translation problem...
The definition varies acording to who makes them. One definition could be
the smallest group of bits the CPU adresses at a time; in modern computers
that is 8 bits.
for instance:
- From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
byte
n : a sequence of 8 bits (enough to represent one character of
alphanumeric data) processed as a single unit of
information
- From The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (27 SEP 03) [foldoc]:
byte
<unit> /bi:t/ (B) A component in the machine {data hierarchy}
usually larger than a {bit} and smaller than a {word}; now
most often eight bits and the smallest addressable unit of
storage. A byte typically holds one {character}.
A byte may be 9 bits on 36-bit computers. Some older
architectures used "byte" for quantities of 6 or 7 bits, and
the PDP-10 and IBM 7030 supported "bytes" that were actually
{bit-fields} of 1 to 36 (or 64) bits! These usages are now
obsolete, and even 9-bit bytes have become rare in the general
trend toward power-of-2 word sizes.
The term was coined by Werner Buchholz in 1956 during the
early design phase for the {IBM} {Stretch} computer. It was a
mutation of the word "bite" intended to avoid confusion with
"bit". In 1962 he described it as "a group of bits used to
encode a character, or the number of bits transmitted in
parallel to and from input-output units". The move to an
8-bit byte happened in late 1956, and this size was later
adopted and promulgated as a standard by the {System/360}
{operating system} (announced April 1964).
James S. Jones <> adds:
I am sure I read in a mid-1970's brochure by IBM that outlined
the history of computers that BYTE was an acronym that stood
for "Bit asYnchronous Transmission E__?__" which related to
width of the bus between the Stretch CPU and its CRT-memory
(prior to Core).
Terry Carr <> says:
In the early days IBM taught that a series of bits transferred
together (like so many yoked oxen) formed a Binary Yoked
Transfer Element (BYTE).
> what about other langages? may be the problem is only in english?
No, the problem arises when experts from several generations talk together ;-)
- --
Cheers,
Carlos E. R.
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