Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
| Domain | Definition |
Computing | Dread high bit disease A condition endemic to PRIME (also known as "PR1ME") minicomputers that results in all the characters having their high (0x80) bit ON rather than OFF. This of course makes transporting files to other systems much more difficult, not to mention talking to true 8-bit devices. Folklore had it that PRIME adopted the reversed-8-bit convention in order to save 25 cents per serial line per machine; PRIME old-timers, on the other hand, claim they inherited the disease from Honeywell via customer NASA's compatibility requirements and struggled heroically to cure it. Whoever was responsible, this probably qualifies as one of the most cretinous design tradeoffs ever made. See meta bit. A few other machines have exhibited similar brain damage. [Jargon File]. Source: The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
Crosswords: DREAD HIGH BIT DISEASE |
| Specialty definitions using "DREAD HIGH BIT DISEASE": high bit. (references) |
Hexadecimal (or equivalents, 770AD-1900s) (references)44 52 45 41 44 48 49 47 48 42 49 54 44 49 53 45 41 53 45 |
| Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519; backwards) (references)
|
Binary Code (1918-1938, probably earlier) (references)01000100 01010010 01000101 01000001 01000100 00100000 01001000 01001001 01000111 01001000 00100000 01000010 01001001 01010100 00100000 01000100 01001001 01010011 01000101 01000001 01010011 01000101 |
HTML Code (1990) (references)D R E A D   H I G H   B I T   D I S E A S E |
ISO 10646 (1991-1993) (references)0044 0052 0045 0041 0044 0048 0049 0047 0048 0042 0049 0054 0044 0049 0053 0045 0041 0053 0045 |
Encryption (beginner's substitution cypher): (references)38523935382424341422364354238435339355339 |
| 1. Crosswords 2. Orthography 3. Bibliography |
Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
