14 lines
2.7 KiB
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14 lines
2.7 KiB
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<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><title>dread high-bit disease</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="../../jargon.css" type="text/css"/><meta name="generator" content="DocBook XSL Stylesheets V1.61.0"/><link rel="home" href="../index.html" title="The Jargon File"/><link rel="up" href="../D.html" title="D"/><link rel="previous" href="drain.html" title="drain"/><link rel="next" href="dread-questionmark-disease.html" title="dread questionmark disease"/></head><body><div class="navheader"><table width="100%" summary="Navigation header"><tr><th colspan="3" align="center">dread high-bit disease</th></tr><tr><td width="20%" align="left"><a accesskey="p" href="drain.html">Prev</a><EFBFBD></td><th width="60%" align="center">D</th><td width="20%" align="right"><EFBFBD><a accesskey="n" href="dread-questionmark-disease.html">Next</a></td></tr></table><hr/></div><dt><a id="dread-high-bit-disease"/><dt xmlns="" id="dread-high-bit-disease"><b>dread high-bit disease</b>: <span xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" class="grammar">n.</span></dt></dt><dd><p> A condition endemic to some now-obsolete computers and peripherals
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(including ASR-33 teletypes and PRIME minicomputers) that results in all
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characters having their high (0x80) bit forced on. This of course makes
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transporting files to other systems much more difficult, not to mention the
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problems these machines have talking with true 8-bit devices.</p></dd><dd><p>This term was originally used specifically of PRIME (a.k.a. PR1ME)
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minicomputers. Folklore has it that PRIME adopted the reversed-8-bit
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convention in order to save 25 cents per serial line per machine; PRIME
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old-timers, on the other hand, claim they inherited the disease from
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Honeywell via customer NASA's compatibility requirements and struggled
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heroically to cure it. Whoever was responsible, this probably qualifies as
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one of the most <a href="../C/cretinous.html"><i class="glossterm">cretinous</i></a> design tradeoffs ever
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made. See <a href="../M/meta-bit.html"><i class="glossterm">meta bit</i></a>.</p></dd><div class="navfooter"><hr/><table width="100%" summary="Navigation footer"><tr><td width="40%" align="left"><a accesskey="p" href="drain.html">Prev</a><EFBFBD></td><td width="20%" align="center"><a accesskey="u" href="../D.html">Up</a></td><td width="40%" align="right"><EFBFBD><a accesskey="n" href="dread-questionmark-disease.html">Next</a></td></tr><tr><td width="40%" align="left" valign="top">drain<EFBFBD></td><td width="20%" align="center"><a accesskey="h" href="../index.html">Home</a></td><td width="40%" align="right" valign="top"><EFBFBD>dread questionmark disease</td></tr></table></div></body></html>
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