character codes, was RE: Really stupid PDP assembler question

From: Hans B PUFAL <hansp_at_citem.org>
Date: Sat Jun 26 12:39:42 2004

Tom Jennings wrote:

>Historically, eg. before computers, characters were logically defined in
>six positions -- 5 for the "character" and one for the case (FIGS, LTRS,
>etc). Many early electronic representations of symbols used 6 bits to
>define the symbol set.
>
>(Why five? how many fingers you got?)
>
>
Don't know if that was the real reason, more important probably was the
fact the 5 bits could
code up to 32 symbols, sufficient for the alphabet.

>The other historic data paradigm was hollerith's cards, which IBM
>bought.
>
IBM did not "buy" the hollerith card, IBM was the evolution of a
company, the Tabulating Machine Company,
created by Herman Hollerith in 1896. In 1911 this merged with two other
companies to form CTR, the
Computing Tabulating and Recording Company. Thomas Watson took the
reins of CTR as general
manager in 1914 and became its president in 1915. He renamed the company
International Business Machines,
IBM, in 1924.

An the rest is history ;-)

  -- HansP
Received on Sat Jun 26 2004 - 12:39:42 BST