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From: jgd@convex.csd.uwm.edu (John G Dobnick)
Newsgroups: comp.arch
Subject: Re: bi-endian environments
Message-ID: <12168@uwm.edu>
Date: 15 May 91 22:30:02 GMT
References: <1991May15.004848.11929@sobeco.com>
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From article <1991May15.004848.11929@sobeco.com>, by jlee@sobeco.com (j.lee):
> In <3308@spim.mips.COM> cprice@mips.com (Charlie Price) writes:
> 
>>You *can* arrange to share ONE binary format.
>>I think the only reasonable one to pick is characters (i.e. bytes).
> 
> This is what "network byte order" is all about.  If I write(2) or
> mmap(2) a sequence of *bytes* on my system to disk/tape/tty/socket
> and you can't read(2) or mmap(2) them and get the same sequence of

Silly question time:  What is a "byte"?

There seems to be an assumption of 8-bitted-ness here.  We (until
recently) had a machine running Unix that used 9-bit bytes.  How
does this map into your assumptions?

Curiously,
-- 
John G Dobnick  (JGD2)
Computing Services Division @ University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
INTERNET: jgd@uwm.edu                      ATTnet: (414) 229-5727
UUCP: uunet!uwm!jgd

"Knowing how things work is the basis for appreciation,
and is thus a source of civilized delight."  -- William Safire