From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.4 (2020-01-24) on polar.synack.me X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-0.4 required=5.0 tests=AC_FROM_MANY_DOTS,BAYES_00 autolearn=no autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: 103376,29f36805b9a20fe8 X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public X-Google-ArrivalTime: 2001-04-02 10:16:22 PST Path: supernews.google.com!sn-xit-03!supernews.com!freenix!isdnet!psinet-france!psiuk-f4!psiuk-p4!uknet!psiuk-n!news.pace.co.uk!nh.pace.co.uk!not-for-mail From: "Marin David Condic" Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada Subject: Re: Streams in Ada Date: Mon, 2 Apr 2001 12:57:16 -0400 Organization: Posted on a server owned by Pace Micro Technology plc Message-ID: <9aab1e$hhm$1@nh.pace.co.uk> References: <9aa3dd$efb$1@nh.pace.co.uk> NNTP-Posting-Host: 136.170.200.133 X-Trace: nh.pace.co.uk 986230638 17974 136.170.200.133 (2 Apr 2001 16:57:18 GMT) X-Complaints-To: newsmaster@pace.co.uk NNTP-Posting-Date: 2 Apr 2001 16:57:18 GMT X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Newsreader: Microsoft Outlook Express 5.50.4522.1200 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.50.4522.1200 Xref: supernews.google.com comp.lang.ada:6359 Date: 2001-04-02T16:57:18+00:00 List-Id: The PDP-10 was more closely oriented to "Sixbit" characters. (Or "Half-ASCII" - basically ASCII with the lower case & some other stuff gone.) IIRC, the Tops-10 OS had the 6x3 file name restrictions basically because it would make filenames fit with Sixbit & into even multiples of machine words. Why DEC chose Sixbit & 36 bit words in the first place, I do not know - but one must remember that this was back in the time when Pangeia was still a united country. (Or was it Ganwanaland?) There weren't a lot of existing conventions for much of anything in computer technology, so 36 was just as beautiful a number as 32. MDC -- Marin David Condic Senior Software Engineer Pace Micro Technology Americas www.pacemicro.com Enabling the digital revolution e-Mail: marin.condic@pacemicro.com Web: http://www.mcondic.com/ "Ted Dennison" wrote in message news:zc1y6.352$UK4.34815@www.newsranger.com... > > Out of curiosity, what exactly constituted a "byte" on a PDP-10? >