Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!lll-winken!lll-lcc!ames!hc!beta!a!jlg
From: jlg@a.UUCP (Jim Giles)
Newsgroups: comp.arch
Subject: Re: standard size names
Message-ID: <499@a.UUCP>
Date: 3 Mar 88 01:24:13 GMT
References: <UW=1uvy00XoH4DZktq@andrew.cmu.edu>
Organization: Los Alamos Natl Lab, Los Alamos, N.M.
Lines: 14
Summary: names

> 

On the Cray, these are called parcel (16-bit), halfword (32-bit), and
word (64-bit).  I like this terminology since it implies that machines
with smaller word sizes are just toys :).  Of course, there's never been
complete agreement on those other terms anyway (CDC machines all used to 
have 6-bit characters - everyone called them bytes).  

My own feeling is that 'word' should always refer to the resolution of
memory and/or disk addresses.  Either that, or we need another term to
describe such a unit.  Of course, this would mean that VAXen and such
ilk would have 8-bit words :).

J. Giles
Los Alamos