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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