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From: David Brown <david.brown@hesbynett.no>
Newsgroups: comp.lang.c
Subject: Re: The integral type 'byte' (was Re: Suggested method for returning
 a string from a C program?)
Date: Wed, 26 Mar 2025 12:47:35 +0100
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On 26/03/2025 12:02, Richard Harnden wrote:
> On 26/03/2025 10:10, David Brown wrote:
>> But the fact that "octet" was a standardised term for 8 bits prior to 
>> the standardisation of the term "byte", does not change the fact that 
>> the term "byte" was standardised as 8 bits - in common computing usage 
>> by at least 40 years ago (though I still think 50 years ago is 
>> reasonable), and in official international standards by at least 30 
>> years ago.
> 
> I was taught - probably wrongly - that byte was a contraction of 
> 'binary-eight'.
> 

As far as I know, it was just a re-spelling (to avoid mixups with "bit") 
of the word "bite" that was used to indicate a small chunk of something. 
  Certainly the word was used before its size was fixed at 8 bits.

The word "bit", on the other hand, is often said to come from "binary 
digit" or "binary information digit".  Personally, I think it is a lot 
simpler - it's the smallest usable bit of information you can have. 
Saying it is a "binary digit" just makes it clearer how big a bit you have.