On Tue, 21 Jun 2016 21:30:34 +0100, Katolaz wrote: > Nono, wait guys. > > 1 octet == 1 byte == 8 bits
Not so. Although the 8-bit byte today is a de facto standard for most of the equipment in wide use, it is not set in stone, lest is it defined that way. So it's actually: 1 octet == 8 bits (by definition, 'octo' is latin for 'eight') 1 byte == 1 char (as by the C standard, cf. clause 3.6) But: 1 byte does not necessarily consist of exactly 8 bits. (As far as the C standard is concerned, it has to consist of *at least* 8 bits, though!) Otherwise there couldn't exist any C implementations with values other than 8 for the CHAR_BIT constant. Actual values observed in the wild comprise: 8, 9, 16, 32, 36. Admittedly, aside from some ancient machines and special (e.g. DSP) hardware, you'll mostly encounter the 8-bit byte variety. But that in no way changes the definitions. If you really think otherwise, I suggest you persuade the folks at comp.std.c and the ISO committee to change the actual wording in the C standard to reflect your views. :-P Regards Urban _______________________________________________ Dng mailing list Dng@lists.dyne.org https://mailinglists.dyne.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/dng
