Mail Archives: cygwin/1998/07/24/22:44:41
In a message dated 7/24/98 1:24:02 AM, smorris AT xionics DOT com wrote:
>Octal makes sense in an environment with
>word sizes of multiples of 3 bits. Hex is only useful with multiples of 4
>bits.
I found hex useful on 36-bit word machines like GE600/Honeywell6000 where
floating point sub-fields were aligned on 4-bit boundaries, but of course
characters were aligned either on 6-bit or 9-bit boundaries. It wasn't
difficult to have hex display software recognize patterns which made more
sense in character or octal. So why did octal persist so long on 16/32 bit
machines?
>The IBM 360 was 36 bits.
The 704 and 7094 were 36 bits, as were some would-be competitors of the 360.
These competitors apparently believed, mistakenly, that IBM customers would
switch brands rather than switch word lengths, and that the superiority of
36-bit binary floating point over 360-style 32-bit hex would carry the day.
As it turned out, of course, prices of 32-bit memory dropped so fast that
64-bit double precision was more affordable than 36-bit single with extended
registers.
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