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From: wilkes@beatnix..UUCP (John Wilkes)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.m68k,comp.std.internat,comp.arch
Subject: Re: How do you say "byte" in French?
Message-ID: <155@elxsi.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 4-Dec-86 21:00:54 EST
Article-I.D.: elxsi.155
Posted: Thu Dec  4 21:00:54 1986
Date-Received: Sun, 7-Dec-86 03:16:48 EST
References: <125@ogesml0.UUCP> <2523@phri.UUCP> <346@pttesac.UUCP>
Sender: nobody@elxsi.UUCP
Reply-To: wilkes@beatnix.UUCP (John Wilkes)
Organization: ELXSI Super Computers, San Jose
Lines: 20
Xref: mnetor comp.sys.m68k:66 comp.std.internat:26 comp.arch:99

In article <346@pttesac.UUCP> vanam@pttesac.UUCP (-Root Admin-) writes:
[stuff deleted]
>
>A byte doesn't have to be 8 bits?  I thought a byte was *always*
>8 bits.
[stuff deleted]
>Marnix

On the venerable PDP-10 (R.I.P, sigh) a ``byte'' could be anything from
one bit to 36 bits (the word size).  The byte size was defined in the
``byte pointer''.

-- John (I don't care what they say, 36 bits is here to stay) Wilkes

-- John Wilkes --    UUCP: {ihnp4|decwrl|pyramid}!sun!elxsi!beatnix!wilkes
                     USPS: ELXSI, 2334 Lundy Pl., San Jose CA 95131

# My Employer appologizes for the fact that I have access to the network. 
# Furthermore, my Employer has absolutely no responsibility for the above
# random ramblings, which are clearly the product of a deranged mind.