Xref: utzoo news.newusers.questions:2656 comp.dcom.modems:6621 Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!math.lsa.umich.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!wuarchive!cs.utexas.edu!asuvax!ncar!mephisto!ncsuvx!news From: hes@ccvr1.ncsu.edu (Henry E. Schaffer) Newsgroups: news.newusers.questions,comp.dcom.modems Subject: Re: Modem Speed Message-ID: <1990Aug30.023220.8554@ncsuvx.ncsu.edu> Date: 30 Aug 90 02:32:20 GMT References: <358@saxony.pa.reuter.COM> <2447@polari.UUCP> <1664@gvgpvd.GVG.TEK.COM> Reply-To: hes@ccvr1.ncsu.edu (Henry E. Schaffer) Organization: NCSU Computing Center Lines: 30 In article <1664@gvgpvd.GVG.TEK.COM> conib@gvgpvd.GVG.TEK.COM (Coni Britten) writes: >In article <2447@polari.UUCP> tronix@polari.WA.COM (David Daniel) writes: > ... [bit per second and baud] >>are two completely different critters, not interchangeable terms. ... >>If memory serves, and it probably doesn't, 1 baud represents roughly 2.xx bits. >I've found one published definition of "baud"; it's in my Webster's Collegiate: > > a variable unit of data transmission speed usu. equal to one bit per > second > >So ... they are not necessarily two *completely* different critters. They can >in fact be interchangable. And in my experience (13 years in engineering), in >common practice this is true! So true, in fact, that even Webster defines it >as "usually" true, and gives no other alternative ratio. Dictionary definitions (are supposed to) reflect usage. Back in the days of the popular Bell 103 and compatible modems which used FSK for speeds in the 110 - 300 range - the bps and baud rating were numerically the same (i.e., 1 bps = 1 baud) and people got into the habit of using the two interchangeably, even though their engineering/scientific definitions were not the same. These days most modems are faster than 300 bps and handle multiple bps per baud, but still the terms are often used interchangeably - so let me reword Webster's definition a variable unit of data transmission speed usu. incorrectly considered equal to one bit per second > ... --henry schaffer n c state univ