Lurker here, adding another link to Brett's reference: http://www-03.ibm.com/ibm/history/history/year_1928.html
It seems that the 80 character limit goes back to 1928. Rick (who has time to scroogle all day...) --- On Tue, 9/21/10, Brett Johnson <[email protected]> wrote: From: Brett Johnson <[email protected]> Subject: Re: Noob question To: [email protected] Date: Tuesday, September 21, 2010, 10:54 AM Didn't my background link cover the origin? http://richarddingwall.name/2008/05/31/is-the-80-character-line-limit-still-relevant/ On Sep 21, 2010 10:33 AM, "Rubin Bennett" <[email protected]> wrote: > Bump, I still think I was right (of course, I usually do...) > R > > Rubin Bennett > rbTechnologies, LLC > 1970 VT Route 14 South > East Montpelier, VT 05651 > > (802)223-4448 x101 > http://thatitguy.com > > "I cannot believe that the purpose of life is to be happy. I think the > purpose of life is to be useful, to be responsible, to be compassionate. > It is, above all to matter, to count, to stand for something, to have > made some difference that you lived at all." > Leo Rosten 1908-1997 > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Francis Swasey [mailto:[email protected]] > Sent: Tuesday, September 21, 2010 10:00 AM > To: [email protected] > Subject: Re: Noob question > > That would by the 24x80 terminals attached to most mainframes in the > 1980's.... > > Before that the limit was 72 characters because of punch cards (and you > left column 1 blank because that was used for line continuation) and > columns 73-80 were for sequencing after the class bully tripped you up > in the hallway and you dumped your three boxes of punch cards all over > the floor..... > > On 9/21/10 9:35 AM, Marc Farnum Rendino wrote: >> And where, class, did the 80 character limit come from?... > > -- > Frank Swasey | http://www.uvm.edu/~fcs > Sr Systems Administrator | Always remember: You are UNIQUE, > University of Vermont | just like everyone else. > "I am not young enough to know everything." - Oscar Wilde (1854-1900)
