jim bell <jimbell@pacifier.com> writes:
See, I do not challenge the fact that there were plenty of data objects of length other than 8-bits. The issue is whether or not the people back then actually believed that a correct, official usage of the term "byte" included lengths other than 8.
Reading from the PDP-10 Reference Handbook (DEC, 1971) page 2-30, we read: To conserve memory, it is useful to store data in less than full 36-bit words. Bytes of any length, from 1 to 36 bits, may be entered using a BYTE statement. BYTE (N) X,X,X The first operand is the byte size in bits. It is a decimal number in the range 1-36, and must be enclosed in parentheses. ... In the following statement, three 12-bit bytes are entered: LABEL: BYTE (12)56,177,N This assembles as... and so on. The PDP-8 "Introduction to programming" (1970) has similar remarks, though not as explicit. On page v in the introduction it says o A six-bit byte swap instruction that provides much faster... and in the description of special periph ops on page D 1-15: VBA 6534 BYTE ADVANCE command requsts next twelve bits, data ready flag is set. I suggest you gracefully back off, if it's still possible. Jim Gillogly Sterday, 22 Astron S.R. 1996, 21:04