Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!seismo!lll-lcc!pyramid!decwrl!spar!malcolm From: malcolm@spar.SPAR.SLB.COM (Malcolm Slaney) Newsgroups: comp.unix.wizards Subject: Re: Size of SysV "block" Message-ID: <52@spar.SPAR.SLB.COM> Date: Tue, 14-Jul-87 23:03:30 EDT Article-I.D.: spar.52 Posted: Tue Jul 14 23:03:30 1987 Date-Received: Fri, 17-Jul-87 03:57:02 EDT References: <218@astra.necisa.oz> <142700010@tiger.UUCP> Reply-To: malcolm@spar.UUCP (Malcolm Slaney) Organization: Schlumberger Palo Alto Research - CASLAB Lines: 22 Summary: Common Lisp Bytes are not just 8 bits In article <142700010@tiger.UUCP> rjd@tiger.UUCP writes: > >> How big is a "byte"? (No, it's not necessarily 8 bits!) > > O.K., I'll byte. (oops, pun initially unintended.) A byte IS eight > bits!!! You and I both know this....but tell that to the Common Lisp people. In "Common Lisp, The Language" by Guy Steele, 1984. (page 225) Several functions are provided for dealing with an arbitrary- width field of contiguous bits appearing anywhere in an integer/ Such a contiguous set of bits is called a "byte". Here the term "byte" does not imply some fixed number of bits (such as eight) rather a field of arbitrary and user-specifiable width. ARGGHHHHH.....Talk about making it difficult to move software between a Symbolics machine (which is where the screwy standard came from, I think) and a Unix machine. Malcolm