dread high-bit disease

dread high-bit disease
 n.

   A condition endemic to some now-obsolete computers and peripherals
   (including ASR-33 teletypes and PRIME minicomputers) that results in
   all characters having their high (0x80) bit forced on. This of course
   makes transporting files to other systems much more difficult, not to
   mention the problems these machines have talking with true 8-bit
   devices.

   This term was originally used specifically of PRIME (a.k.a. PR1ME)
   minicomputers. Folklore has it that PRIME adopted the reversed-8-bit
   convention in order to save 25 cents per serial line per machine;
   PRIME old-timers, on the other hand, claim they inherited the disease
   from Honeywell via customer NASA's compatibility requirements and
   struggled heroically to cure it. Whoever was responsible, this
   probably qualifies as one of the most {cretinous} design tradeoffs
   ever made. See {meta bit}.