Re: octet vs. byte

From: Floyd L. Davidson (floyd_at_barrow.com)
Date: 09/22/04 

Date: Wed, 22 Sep 2004 12:13:28 -0800

Levente KOVACS <Levente.Kovacs@cern.ch> wrote:
>On 21 Sep 2004 19:35:36 GMT
>Grant Edwards <grante@visi.com> wrote:
>
>> On 2004-09-21, John Hasler <john@dhh.gt.org> wrote:
>>
>> > Byte. "Octet" is computer jargon for an eight bit byte.
>> >
>> >> We translate byte to octet unless it is important that a sextet is
>> >to be> understood.
>> >
>> > Why do you need to translate it? Translate the definition and then
>> > just use the word.
>> >
>> >> Those are the only 2 byte sizes I have encountered.
>> >
>> > I've also seen four, nine, and twelve bit bytes.
>>
>> I've worked with 32-bit bytes.
>
>And what is "word" then?
>
>Okay. One of my teacher said that byte came from the sentence "by
>eight". Oktet is used in the world of communications.
>
>And French (and Suiss) people using it for byte.
>
>Byte and octet are the same.

That simply is *not* true. But you are right about octet
originating in the world of communcations... where it came into
use /because/ there is no such thing as a standard size for a
byte.

Indeed, on some communications links (the ubiquitous
asynchronous RS-232, for example) an octet is transmitted as
either a 10 or 11 bit byte!

In other examples that are not so commonly known, bytes can even
have fractions of bits! Infotron sold a data multiplexing
equipment that was in fairly common use back in the 80's that
used fractional stop bits, so an octet might have been actually
transmitted as a 9 and 3/8ths bit byte! 

-- 
FloydL. Davidson           <http://web.newsguy.com/floyd_davidson>
Ukpeagvik (Barrow, Alaska)                         floyd@barrow.com