Text 1995, 111 rader
Skriven 1998-12-30 08:34:14 av Roger Eriksson (2:205/412.10)
   Kommentar till text 1991 av Eddy L O Jansson (2:206/233.0)
Ärende: Re: ip
==============
 RE>> Ur "The Jargon File":

 RE>> :byte:: /bi:t/ /n./  [techspeak] A unit of memory or data equal to  

 ELO>  Sedan så finns det "Wyrd"s också (tror jag fick det rätt där). Knuth
 ELO>  förespråkar ordet för att mena "16-bitar" om jag fattat saken rätt.

Det fanns en hel uppsjö med olika beteckningar som jag aldrig sett (men jag
hittade inte "Wyrd")...

Ur "The Jargon File":

:chawmp: /n./  [University of Florida] 16 or 18 bits (half of a
	 machine word).  This term was used by FORTH hackers during the late
	 1970s/early 1980s; it is said to have been archaic then, and may
	 now be obsolete.  It was coined in revolt against the promiscuous
	 use of `word' for anything between 16 and 32 bits; `word' has
	 an additional special meaning for FORTH hacks that made the
	 overloading intolerable.  For similar reasons, /gaw'bl/ (spelled
	 `gawble' or possibly `gawbul') was in use as a term for 32 or
	 48 bits (presumably a full machine word, but our sources are
	 unclear on this).  These terms are more easily understood if one
	 thinks of them as faithful phonetic spellings of `chomp' and
	 `gobble' pronounced in a Florida or other Southern U.S. dialect.
	 For general discussion of similar terms, see {nybble}.

:crumb: /n./  Two binary digits; a {quad}.  Larger than a
	 {bit}, smaller than a {nybble}.  Considered silly.
	 Syn. {tayste}.  General discussion of such terms is under
	 {nybble}.

:deckle: /dek'l/ /n./  [from dec- and {nybble}; the original
	 spelling seems to have been `decle'] Two {nickle}s; 10
	 bits.  Reported among developers for Mattel's GI 1600 (the
	 Intellivision games processor), a chip with 16-bit-wide RAM but
	 10-bit-wide ROM.  See {nybble} for other such terms.

:dynner: /din'r/ /n./  32 bits, by analogy with {nybble} and
	 {{byte}}.  Usage: rare and extremely silly.  See also {playte},
	 {tayste}, {crumb}.  General discussion of such terms is under
	 {nybble}.

:nickle: /ni'kl/ /n./  [from `nickel', common name for the
	 U.S.  5-cent coin] A {nybble} + 1; 5 bits.  Reported among
	 developers for Mattel's GI 1600 (the Intellivision games
	 processor), a chip with 16-bit-wide RAM but 10-bit-wide ROM.  See
	 also {deckle}, and {nybble} for names of other bit units.

:nybble: /nib'l/ (alt. `nibble') /n./  [from
	 /v./ `nibble' by analogy with `bite' => `byte'] Four
	 bits; one {hex} digit; a half-byte.  Though `byte' is now
	 techspeak, this useful relative is still jargon.  Compare
	 {{byte}}; see also {bit}, Apparently the `nybble' spelling is
	 uncommon in Commonwealth Hackish, as British orthography suggests
	 the pronunciation /ni:'bl/.

	 Following `bit', `byte' and `nybble' there have been quite a few
	 analogical attempts to construct unambiguous terms for bit blocks
	 of other sizes.  All of these are strictly jargon, not techspeak,
	 and not very common jargon at that (most hackers would recognize
	 them in context but not use them spontaneously).  We collect them
	 here for reference together with the ambiguous techspeak terms
	 `word', `half-word' and `quadwords'; some (indicated) have
	 substantial information separate entries.
		 2 bits:
					{crumb}, {quad}, {quarter}, tayste
		 4 bits:
					nybble
		 5 bits:
					{nickle}
		 10 bits:
					{deckle}
		 16 bits:
					playte, {chawmp} (on a 32-bit machine), word (on a 16-bit
					machine), half-word (on a 32-bit machine).
		 18 bits:
					{chawmp} (on a 36-bit machine), half-word (on a 36-bit machine)
		 32 bits:
					dynner, {gawble} (on a 32-bit machine), word (on a 32-bit
					machine), longword (on a 16-bit machine).
		 36:
					word (on a 36-bit machine)
		 48 bits:
					{gawble} (under circumstances that remain obscure)

	 The fundamental motivation for most of these jargon terms (aside
	 from the normal hackerly enjoyment of punning wordplay) is the
	 extreme ambiguity of the term `word' and its derivatives.


:playte: /playt/  16 bits, by analogy with {nybble} and
	 {{byte}}.  Usage: rare and extremely silly.  See also {dynner}
	 and {crumb}.  General discussion of such terms is under
	 {nybble}.

:quarter: /n./  Two bits.  This in turn comes from the `pieces
	 of eight' famed in pirate movies -- Spanish silver crowns that
	 could be broken into eight pie-slice-shaped `bits' to make
	 change.  Early in American history the Spanish coin was considered
	 equal to a dollar, so each of these `bits' was considered worth
	 12.5 cents.  Syn.  {tayste}, {crumb}, {quad}.  Usage:
	 rare.  General discussion of such terms is under {nybble}.

:tayste: /tayst/  /n./ Two bits; also as {taste}.
	 Syn. {crumb}, {quarter}.  See {nybble}.


	-  Roger Eriksson - eMail: dvlren@cs.umu.se - http: www.cs.umu.se/~dvlren  -

--- Spot 1.3b #314
 * Origin:  (2:205/412.10)