alt Hacker NewsA byte is always 8 bits. The word you're looking for is `word-size` which, in this case would be 4 bits.
Replies
quantified • today at 10:10 PM
I think you might be missing the attempt at humor.
A byte is always 8 bits. The word you're looking for is `word-size` which, in this case would be 4 bits.
I think you might be missing the attempt at humor.
A byte is not always 8 bits on old machines, though it is standardised as 8 bits nowadays.
This is why network RFCs talk of "octets", to avoid the ambiguity. Octets are always 8 bits.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octet_(computing)