From: jim bell <jimbell@pacifier.com>
Date: Sat, 13 Apr 1996 06:23:02 +0800
To: Sten Drescher <cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Re: questions about bits and bytes
Message-ID: <m0u7lBY-0008yHC@pacifier.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


At 09:17 PM 4/11/96 -0500, Sten Drescher wrote:
>>>>>> jim bell writes:
>
>jb> At 06:29 PM 4/10/96 -0700, Simon Spero wrote:
>>> No, bytes are no always 8 bits - some machines use(d) 9-bit bytes.
>
>jb> I notice you gave no examples.  Why is that?
>
>	As I recall, the Honeywell H6000 used 6-bit bytes and 36-bit
>(6 byte) words.

Here's the problem with this kind of counter-example:  You do not explain 
whether or not these data structures were actually called "bytes" by the 
manufacturer, or whether the term "byte" was inflicted later on by people 
who didn't know better.  Remember, in the absence of any name for a "6-bit 
data object" I'm sure the temptation was probably very strong to misuse a 
term, especially in hindsight.

See, I do not challenge the fact that there were plenty of data objects of 
length other than 8-bits.  The issue is whether or not the people back then 
actually believed that a correct, official usage of the term "byte" included 
lengths other than 8.

Dmitri Vulis at least acknowledged that when he looked back into the 
documentation, he discovered that the term used for his counter-example was 
"character", not byte.  How many other of these counter-examples would show 
this kind of thing?