X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII X-Google-Thread: f996b,e084092f3d261361 X-Google-Attributes: gidf996b,public X-Google-ArrivalTime: 2001-02-10 05:27:44 PST From: Neil Franklin Newsgroups: alt.ascii-art Subject: Re: [pic] Nude from before 1980 Date: 10 Feb 2001 14:26:25 +0100 Organization: My own Private Self Lines: 77 Message-ID: <6usnlmlldq.fsf@chonsp.franklin.ch> References: <3A84AEF7.C379A08B@lascaux.cave> X-Complaints-To: news@chonsp.franklin.ch NNTP-Posting-Date: 10 Feb 2001 13:26:25 GMT X-Newsreader: Gnus v5.7/Emacs 20.4 NNTP-Posting-Host: dua131221.dialup800-stat.ethz.ch X-Trace: 10 Feb 2001 14:27:38 +0100, dua131221.dialup800-stat.ethz.ch Path: supernews.google.com!sn-xit-02!sn-xit-04!supernews.com!216.227.56.88.MISMATCH!telocity-west!TELOCITY!enews.sgi.com!news-zh.switch.ch!pfaff.ethz.ch!chonsp.franklin.ch!not-for-mail Xref: supernews.google.com alt.ascii-art:4347 MiKe� writes: > > And the pages were attached to each other, > > bottom of one page to the top of the next, > > so that the output was one long page. > > > The unix "banner" program was written to take advantage > > of the long continuous printouts from those old printers. > > But as continuous forms are still in use - so are > those *old* tractor feed printers . Jup. > english measure suggesting that we change instead > to hexadecimal because ALL computers run on hex . Binary, as you say. > At that time VIRTUALLY all mainframes, the few that > were around, had 4 bit processors and ran on octal - not hex ? 4 bit processors??? The only use of them I know are pocket calculators and simple control systems (say traffic lights) up to 10 years ago. Mainframes are either: - 36bit (IBM 709 series (1950/60s), DEC PDP-10 series (1960s/70s), GE 6xx series (1960s up to today), ...) or - 32bit (IBM 360 series (late 1960s to today), DEC VAX series (late 1970s to 1990s), ...). And don't forget: If you are not playing with 36 bits you have not got a full DEC. > virtually ALL computers run on BINARY only . > We humans merely use HEX(8 bit) or OCTAL because they conform to Hex is 4 bits and usually used on 32bit machines (8 characters/word): 02 46 8A CE = 00000010 01000110 10001010 11001110 13 57 9B DF = 00010011 01010111 10011011 11011111 Octal is 3 bits and usually used on 36bit machines (12 characters/word): 01 23 45 67 01 23 = 000001 010011 100101 110111 000001 010011 > Therefore, a very popular DIP (Dual Inline Package) was > a BCD converter that input Binary Code and output Decimal . Or even full hex. > My first computer was 32 bit long ago before others upgraded I started with 8bit, an Z80 running at 4MHz (but using up 4 times as many clock states as todays processors, so it is equvalent to an 1MHz processor today would be). Today there is about 5 times that computer power in an TV remote control. > now 128 bit computers are around Where? The best I have seen (und I use such daily) are 64bit. Note: I mean real 64bit vs 128bit architecture. Actual memory width these 64bit machines are 256bit, and even 32bit mainframes have up to 2048bit memory width. -- Neil Franklin, neil@franklin.ch.remove http://neil.franklin.ch/ Hacker, Unix Guru, El Eng FH/BSc, Sysadmin, Roleplayer, LARPer, Mystic