From: Anton Aylward (anton_at_the-wire.com)
Date: Sun May 02 2004 - 05:24:02 PDT
On Sun, 2004-05-02 at 05:43, David Neale wrote:
> This development in computing is a good lesson: use the most
> appropriate system, rather than sticking to one that is perhaps more
> traditional, but less suited to the task at hand.
>
> Stick 8 bits (binary digits -- on/off electrical switch, if you wish)
> in a row, split this byte into two halves and you'll see why hex is
> used.
Chavenism at work here!
You 8-bit byte is just the tradition you grew up with.
There are and have been good reasons to have word sizes of 5, 6, 7, 9,
15, 18, 19 and 30 bits. Check your history books.
Eight bits only dominates in the same sense that the English language
dominates.
-- Anton Aylward <anton_at_the-wire.com> -- This is the NewtonTalk list - http://www.newtontalk.net/ for all inquiries Official Newton FAQ: http://www.chuma.org/newton/faq/ WikiWikiNewt for all kinds of articles: http://tools.unna.org/wikiwikinewt/
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