Byte

byte
    n 1: a sequence of 8 bits (enough to represent one character of
         alphanumeric data) processed as a single unit of
         information
    

byte
 /bi:t/, n.

   [techspeak] A unit of memory or data equal to the amount used to
   represent one character; on modern architectures this is invariably 8
   bits. Some older architectures used byte for quantities of 6, 7, or
   (especially) 9 bits, and the PDP-10 supported bytes that were actually
   bitfields of 1 to 36 bits! These usages are now obsolete, killed off
   by universal adoption of power-of-2 word sizes.

   Historical note: The term was coined by Werner Buchholz in 1956 during
   the early design phase for the IBM Stretch computer; originally it was
   described as 1 to 6 bits (typical I/O equipment of the period used
   6-bit chunks of information). The move to an 8-bit byte happened in
   late 1956, and this size was later adopted and promulgated as a
   standard by the System/360. The word was coined by mutating the word
   `bite' so it would not be accidentally misspelled as {bit}. See also
   {nybble}.
    

Byte

   <publication> A popular computing magazine.

   (http://byte.com).

   (1997-03-27)
    

byte
bite

   <unit> /bi:t/ (B) A component in the machine {data hierarchy}
   larger than a {bit} and usually smaller than a {word}; now
   nearly always eight bits and the smallest addressable unit of
   storage.  A byte typically holds one {character}.

   A byte may be 9 bits on 36-bit computers.  Some older
   architectures used "byte" for quantities of 6 or 7 bits, and
   the PDP-10 and IBM 7030 supported "bytes" that were actually
   {bit-fields} of 1 to 36 (or 64) bits!  These usages are now
   obsolete, and even 9-bit bytes have become rare in the general
   trend toward power-of-2 word sizes.

   The term was coined by Werner Buchholz in 1956 during the
   early design phase for the {IBM} {Stretch} computer.  It was a
   mutation of the word "bite" intended to avoid confusion with
   "bit".  In 1962 he described it as "a group of bits used to
   encode a character, or the number of bits transmitted in
   parallel to and from input-output units".  The move to an
   8-bit byte happened in late 1956, and this size was later
   adopted and promulgated as a standard by the {System/360}
   {operating system} (announced April 1964).

   James S. Jones <[email protected]> adds:

   I am sure I read in a mid-1970's brochure by IBM that outlined
   the history of computers that BYTE was an acronym that stood
   for "Bit asYnchronous Transmission E..?" which related to
   width of the bus between the Stretch CPU and its CRT-memory
   (prior to Core).

   Terry Carr <[email protected]> says:

   In the early days IBM taught that a series of bits transferred
   together (like so many yoked oxen) formed a Binary Yoked
   Transfer Element (BYTE).

   [True origin?  First 8-bit byte architecture?]

   See also {nibble}, {octet}.

   [{Jargon File}]

   (2003-09-21)