19 Nov
2005
19 Nov
'05
6:58 a.m.
>>>> "Barry" == Barry Watzman
<Watzman at neo.rr.com> writes:
Barry> However, one question, this chart shows the high-order bit
Barry> (parity bit) punched for every character, no exceptions. Was
Barry> that a standard convention in sending ascii files to paper
Barry> tape?
You mean the high order bit was always on -- as opposed to being a
parity bit? That's unusual. Parity is a bit more common, but I don't
think there was a single standard. Classic ASCII is a 7-bit code,
leaving the 8th bit for people to mess with as they saw fit.
paul