from dictionary.com
<unit> /bi:t/ (B) A component in the machine data hierarchy
usually larger than a bit and smaller than a word; now
most often eight bits and the smallest addressable unit of
storage. A byte typically holds one character.
A byte may be 9 bits on 36-bit computers. Some older
architectures used "byte" for quantities of 6 or 7 bits, and
the PDP-10 and IBM 7030 supported "bytes" that were actually
bit-fields of 1 to 36 (or 64) bits! These usages are now
obsolete, and even 9-bit bytes have become rare in the general
trend toward power-of-2 word sizes.
The term was coined by Werner Buchholz in 1956 during the
early design phase for the IBM Stretch computer. It was a
mutation of the word "bite" intended to avoid confusion with
"bit". In 1962 he described it as "a group of bits used to
encode a character, or the number of bits transmitted in
parallel to and from input-output units". The move to an
8-bit byte happened in late 1956, and this size was later
adopted and promulgated as a standard by the System/360
operating system (announced April 1964).
James S. Jones <jsjones@graceland.edu> adds:
I am sure I read in a mid-1970's brochure by IBM that outlined
the history of computers that BYTE was an acronym that stood
for "Bit asYnchronous Transmission E__?__" which related to
width of the bus between the Stretch CPU and its CRT-memory
(prior to Core).
Terry Carr <bear@mich.com> says:
In the early days IBM taught that a series of bits transferred
together (like so many yoked oxen) formed a Binary Yoked
Transfer Element (BYTE).
[True origin? First 8-bit byte architecture?]
See also nibble, octet.
[Jargon File]
(2003-09-21)
Source: The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © 1993-2005 Denis Howe
byte
/bi:t/ n. [techspeak] A unit of memory or data equal to
the amount used to represent one character; on modern architectures
this is usually 8 bits, but may be 9 on 36-bit machines. Some older
architectures used `byte' for quantities of 6 or 7 bits, and the
PDP-10 supported `bytes' that were actually bitfields of 1 to 36
bits! These usages are now obsolete, and even 9-bit bytes have
become rare in the general trend toward power-of-2 word sizes.
Historical note: The term was coined by Werner Buchholz in 1956
during the early design phase for the IBM Stretch computer;
originally it was described as 1 to 6 bits (typical I/O equipment of
the period used 6-bit chunks of information). The move to an 8-bit
byte happened in late 1956, and this size was later adopted and
promulgated as a standard by the System/360. The word was coined by
mutating the word `bite' so it would not be accidentally misspelled
as bit. See also nybble.
Source: Jargon File 4.2.0
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