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Subject:Call it a bit From:Rick Klopp <rklopp -at- VNET -dot- IBM -dot- COM> Date:Wed, 19 Jul 1995 17:59:36 CST
The IBM Dictionary of Computing (McGraw-Hill, 1993) defines "bit" as:
Either of the digits 0 or 1 when used in the binary
numeration system. Synonymous with binary digit. (T)
Deprecated term for binary element, shannon.
The (T) means that the preceding definition comes from a draft
international standard, committee draft, or working paper that
*followed* the Information Technology Vocabulary, developed by
a bunch of committees of the ISO and International Electrotechnical
Commission. (Whew.)
There's no need to define "bit" because it is part of the general
technical lexicon of English, i.e., You Can Look It Up in Webster's.
If you're searching for an explanation of "bit," that's different.
Rick Klopp
Speech Recognition Information Development
IBM Austria - Vienna Software Development Laboratory
ID: rklopp -at- vnet -dot- ibm -dot- com
Disclaimer: my views are my own, not my employer's.
