Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!seismo!husc6!cmcl2!phri!roy From: roy@phri.UUCP (Roy Smith) Newsgroups: comp.arch Subject: Re: Size of SysV "block" (really: byte != 8 bits) Message-ID: <2799@phri.UUCP> Date: Fri, 17-Jul-87 21:42:02 EDT Article-I.D.: phri.2799 Posted: Fri Jul 17 21:42:02 1987 Date-Received: Sat, 18-Jul-87 17:54:20 EDT References: <2792@phri.UUCP> <6705@steinmetz.steinmetz.UUCP> <524@ollie.UUCP> Reply-To: roy@phri.UUCP (Roy Smith) Organization: Public Health Research Inst. (NY, NY) Lines: 19 Keywords: The trouble with trybles In article <524@ollie.UUCP> hansen@mips.UUCP (Craig Hansen) writes: > Has anyone seen a good name used for three 8-bit bytes? I've been using > "tri-byte", but could see it being shortened to "trite" or "tryte." I don't know about 3 octets, but I suppose that if 4 bits is a nyble, then 12 bits must be a tryble. Uh, maybe this should be cross-posted to rec.tv.star-trek? :-) Maybe if you were working on a machine with a 24 bit word (have there been any?) you'd be in double tryble? :-) By the way, if you really want to get confusing, consider that the French word for byte is (drumroll...) "octet". As far as I know, there is no other word to describe the concept of an arbitrarily sized contigious group of bits. Perhaps some native French speaker could confirm or deny this? -- Roy Smith, {allegra,cmcl2,philabs}!phri!roy System Administrator, Public Health Research Institute 455 First Avenue, New York, NY 10016