Hi Dave,
On 03/10/2019 00:58, Dave Park wrote:
I think we have to remember that people didn't communicate as easily or
freely then as we do today, so specifications were far more localized
than we'd suspect. If sites had 8 hole punched tape readers, it would be
a sensible use. When modems came along, and a parity bit was part of the
modem's protocol, it freed up that 8th bit. Lots of people hacking it to
their own purposes. Someone with the luxury of a CRT going, "ooooh, I
can generate extra characters, graphical elements, all sorts!" and
before you know it, ASCII evolves by who communicates the best ;)
Fun times!
You mean, standards! :o)
I had a look over at Wikipedia yesterday (yes, I know) and you've
basically summarised the whole tale of ASCII and how it got from a
fledgling 6 bit to 7 where it lives now, with it's extra bit hanging on
"just because".
Fun times indeed.
Apparently, I am a pedant's baddest nightmare. :o)
Cheers,
Norm
--
Norman Dunbar
Dunbar IT Consultants Ltd
Registered address:
27a Lidget Hill
Pudsey
West Yorkshire
United Kingdom
LS28 7LG
Company Number: 05132767
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