From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.4 (2020-01-24) on inbox.vuxu.org X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-1.0 required=5.0 tests=DKIM_SIGNED,DKIM_VALID, HTML_MESSAGE,MAILING_LIST_MULTI,RCVD_IN_DNSWL_NONE autolearn=ham autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 Received: (qmail 25512 invoked from network); 3 Feb 2021 20:08:43 -0000 Received: from minnie.tuhs.org (45.79.103.53) by inbox.vuxu.org with ESMTPUTF8; 3 Feb 2021 20:08:43 -0000 Received: by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix, from userid 112) id E4B239C7F1; Thu, 4 Feb 2021 06:08:38 +1000 (AEST) Received: from minnie.tuhs.org (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id B11AC9BA43; Thu, 4 Feb 2021 06:08:02 +1000 (AEST) Authentication-Results: minnie.tuhs.org; dkim=pass (2048-bit key; unprotected) header.d=ccil-org.20150623.gappssmtp.com header.i=@ccil-org.20150623.gappssmtp.com header.b="fU03nwpj"; dkim-atps=neutral Received: by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix, from userid 112) id 368249BA43; Thu, 4 Feb 2021 06:07:59 +1000 (AEST) Received: from mail-qv1-f53.google.com (mail-qv1-f53.google.com [209.85.219.53]) by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix) with ESMTPS id 8CD449BA40 for ; Thu, 4 Feb 2021 06:07:58 +1000 (AEST) Received: by mail-qv1-f53.google.com with SMTP id j13so601030qvu.10 for ; Wed, 03 Feb 2021 12:07:58 -0800 (PST) DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=ccil-org.20150623.gappssmtp.com; s=20150623; h=mime-version:references:in-reply-to:from:date:message-id:subject:to :cc; bh=2yk4yDE6/0b1pgw2PVHyrS/Xmeq7nFxUUxQ/wLGROao=; b=fU03nwpjvNf+CIk8G4Qj4Mev/hN/Ry0DRw9i+a16pmItwxwo3aJiFT/5m/gpTy6Cwe 7GqSgaRqfTrEKBG5RQYjHAMTDVKLGd4UhfnCKonJkLaq8KbzFY/w7R4LBRh1wxQvDDS4 rTLdELEGY8XdPvg4HWpouND9+mOPOwo5TpDpWOmrIZMBllzU2F2BnGpJIl2q/ltQbmWb 5xifvD8m3yhjq2GP84y2o5EXCnCTQKt/UTD/Q3a92mfJyw84r7yk+xx0nJTReIHdz6ot kHNQsvhmEo5Bww158eQUwRfOFFObnN6HGxT/QdtGg8rnzGmtFtpFsYSYdLi6SBmNxE2N JwgQ== X-Google-DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=1e100.net; s=20161025; h=x-gm-message-state:mime-version:references:in-reply-to:from:date :message-id:subject:to:cc; bh=2yk4yDE6/0b1pgw2PVHyrS/Xmeq7nFxUUxQ/wLGROao=; b=gJ8mXB4oEQJIuFAWtq+arv3YbNB9UShu1mfxRvC26IfGIrGV27Tdb9gSV/0yJDbY39 sASa2rsm35W0834bU6urmT7u/gQflErFOxsXUzW3RawdkWr4b18vlkdGEUfWQlSvndLy bakau/lJiS/ihmsdVxa4FdDyH5r8q2YgRI3uBhbIxnwVH5cBT2R0kSJtwg6g0UR1loYG y5abqfNwWXeYXvuKzdJy8o+0C9j1zf7lTd+QczBgcKzgzEtVNo84FBAz+HBGjEYbhQaT vd1xmpd0/J4dVYnZbYacBFiaFM/pRogU5z95x4KcZ+beAziJe4UMXHEeMxU4CwHqfAfG aLTw== X-Gm-Message-State: AOAM5307ZuodsEehYdiQsqmf9Zm7wqZDgZPeaP17FthjWmh+aMz0J2Yh fxPAimT0SpSTgvmDlfoxsgUyiJEiZAVh04L2Km7SUg== X-Google-Smtp-Source: ABdhPJwz6hmOEwl529YZ6sWcab5LILQRUdIz4U/xno9kP79Lm4Z2PWLHTJdfnaLAj2KjCpkernuY/PLcQfJZqy3qe9Q= X-Received: by 2002:ad4:544b:: with SMTP id h11mr4571797qvt.24.1612382877684; Wed, 03 Feb 2021 12:07:57 -0800 (PST) MIME-Version: 1.0 References: In-Reply-To: From: John Cowan Date: Wed, 3 Feb 2021 15:07:46 -0500 Message-ID: To: M Douglas McIlroy Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="000000000000aaac2605ba7424ae" Subject: Re: [TUHS] 2^n-bit operands (Was reviving a bit of WWB) X-BeenThere: tuhs@minnie.tuhs.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.26 Precedence: list List-Id: The Unix Heritage Society mailing list List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Cc: TUHS main list Errors-To: tuhs-bounces@minnie.tuhs.org Sender: "TUHS" --000000000000aaac2605ba7424ae Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" On Wed, Feb 3, 2021 at 9:55 AM M Douglas McIlroy < m.douglas.mcilroy@dartmouth.edu> wrote: With the 360 series, IBM fully committed to multiple operand sizes. DEC > followed suit and C naturalized the idea into programmers' working > vocabulary. > The steady expansion of character set sizes also had a great deal to do with it. The various 6-bit character sets were fine as long as the industry was okay with English-only SHOUTING. When that was outgrown, 7-bit ASCII and 8-bit EBCDIC on multiple-of-6 word sizes (as were found on the big-endian DEC machines up to the PDP-10) were annoying to use. On the 12-bit PDP-8, where I cut my teeth, ASCII was stored as HHHHAAAAAAAA followed by LLLLBBBBBBBB, where the As represent the first character, the Bs the second, and the Hs and Ls the third. Padding was done with NUL, which meant that, for example, the TTY driver simply filled its read buffer with 0000AAAAAAAA 0000BBBBBBBB, which made rubout handling much simpler. Textual programs reading from it would already be set up to ignore NULs. On the 36-bit PDP-10, things were better: the sign bit was mostly ignored and five 7-bit ASCII characters were packed into each word, again with NUL padding. (Line editors turned on the sign bit to indicate that this word held an explicit ASCII line number.) John Cowan http://vrici.lojban.org/~cowan cowan@ccil.org Original line from The Warrior's Apprentice by Lois McMaster Bujold: "Only on Barrayar would pulling a loaded needler start a stampede toward one." English-to-Russian-to-English mangling thereof: "Only on Barrayar you risk to lose support instead of finding it when you threat with the charged weapon." --000000000000aaac2605ba7424ae Content-Type: text/html; charset="UTF-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable


On Wed, Feb 3, 20= 21 at 9:55 AM M Douglas McIlroy <m.douglas.mcilroy@dartmouth.edu> wrote:

With the 360 series, IBM= fully committed to multiple operand sizes. DEC
followed suit and= C naturalized the idea into programmers' working
vocabulary.=

The= steady expansion of character set sizes also had a great deal to do with i= t.=C2=A0 The various 6-bit character sets were fine as long as the industry= was okay with English-only SHOUTING.=C2=A0 When that was outgrown, 7-bit A= SCII and 8-bit EBCDIC on multiple-of-6 word sizes (as were found on the big= -endian DEC machines up to the PDP-10) were annoying to use.

On the 12-bit PDP-8, w= here I cut my teeth, ASCII was stored as
HHH= HAAAAAAAA followed by LLLLBBBBBBBB, where the As represent the first charac= ter, the Bs the second, and the Hs and Ls the third.=C2=A0 Padding was done= with NUL, which meant that, for example, the TTY driver simply filled its = read buffer with 0000AAAAAAAA 0000BBBBBBBB, which made rubout handling much= simpler.=C2=A0 Textual programs reading from it would already be set up to= ignore NULs.

On the 36-bit PDP-10, things were better: the sign bit was mostly ign= ored and five 7-bit ASCII characters were packed into each word, again with= NUL padding.=C2=A0 (Line editors turned on the sign bit to indicate that t= his word held an explicit ASCII line number.)

<= br>
John Cowan =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 = =C2=A0http://vrici.lojban.org/~c= owan =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0cowan= @ccil.org
Original line from The Warrior's Apprentice by Lois Mc= Master Bujold:
"Only on Barrayar would pulling a loaded needler sta= rt a stampede toward one."
English-to-Russian-to-English mangling t= hereof: "Only on Barrayar you risk to
lose support instead of findi= ng it when you threat with the charged weapon."

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