[comp.arch] Decimal Arithmetic and number of bits-per-character.

jdudeck@polyslo.CalPoly.EDU (John R. Dudeck) (03/21/90)

In article <2009@l.cc.purdue.edu> cik@l.cc.purdue.edu (Herman Rubin) writes:
>Are 8-bit characters too much?  Unless someone is willing to use the
>usual typewriter characters only, 8 bits are too little.
>
There are many languages with more than 256 characters in the printed
alphabet.  Editors for these alphabets have to either use 2- and 3-
character encoding sequences for a single displayed/printed character, 
or else use a 16-bit character.

-- 
John Dudeck                           "You want to read the code closely..." 
jdudeck@Polyslo.CalPoly.Edu             -- C. Staley, in OS course, teaching 
ESL: 62013975 Tel: 805-545-9549          Tanenbaum's MINIX operating system.