Syllable (computing): Difference between revisions

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{{Short description|A platform-specific data size used for some historical digital hardware}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2019|cs1-dates=y}}

{{Use list-defined references|date=December 2021}}

In computing, a '''syllable''' is a name[[Units forof a platform-dependent '''information|unit''' of '''information]] storage'''.that Depending ondescribes the targetsize hardware,of data for some variousdigital [[bitcomputer widthhardware|hardware]]s (from the 1960s and sometimes1970s. internalThe groupings)size areof associatedthe withunit it.varies Commonlyby usedhardware design in much the 1960ssame andway 1970s,that the[[word term(computer hasarchitecture)|word]] mostlydoes. fallenThe intoterm disuseis innot favourused offor modern hardware; standardized terms, likesuch as [[byte]], orare [[wordused (computer architecture)|word]]instead.

Examples:

* {{anchor|3-bit}}[[3-bit computing|3-bit]] syllables: some experimental [[Complex Instruction Set Computing|CISC]] designs<ref name="Jones_2016_CISC"/><ref name="Jones_1988_CISC"/>

* {{anchor|8-bit}}[[8-bit computing|8-bit]] syllables: [[English Electric KDF9]] (represented as [[syllabic octal]]s and also called [[slob-octal]]s<ref name="Beard_1997"/><ref name="CCS_2009"/> or [[slob (KDF9)|slob]]s in this context)<ref name="EE_1961"/> and [[Burroughs large systems]] (see also: [[Burroughs B6x00-7x00 instruction set]])

* {{anchor|12-bit}}[[12-bit computing|12-bit]] syllables: NCR computers such as the [[NCR 315]]<ref name="Schneider_1970"/> (also called [[slab (unit)|slab]]s in this context)<ref name="Schneider_1970"/><ref name="NCR_315_EDPS"/><ref name="Bardin_1963"/> and [[Burroughs large systems]]

* {{anchor|13-bit}}[[13-bit computing|13-bit]] syllables: [[Saturn Launch Vehicle Digital Computer]] (LVDC)<ref name="Burkey_2009_LVDC"/> and [[Gemini Spacecraft On-Board Computer]] (OBC)<ref name="Burkey_2010_Gemini"/>

==See also==

* [[{{Annotated link|Catena (computing)]]}}

* [[Byte]]

* {{Annotated link|Nibble}}

* [[Catena (computing)]]

* {{Annotated link|Opcode|Opcode, aka instruction syllable}}

* [[Instruction syllable]]

* [[{{Annotated link|Parcel (computing)]]}}

* [[Nibble]]

* [[{{Annotated link|Syllable]]}} (in linguistics)

* [[Opcode]]

* [[Opstring]]

* [[Parcel (computing)]]

* [[Syllable]] (in linguistics)

* [[Word (computer architecture)]]

==References==

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<ref name="EE_1961">{{cite book |title=English Electric KDF9: Very high speed data processing system for Commerce, Industry, Science |type=Product flyer |date=c. 1961 |publisher=[[English Electric]] |id=Publication No. DP/103. 096320WP/RP0961 |url=http://www.ourcomputerheritage.org/KDF9_Flier.pdf |access-date=2020-07-27 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200727143037/http://www.ourcomputerheritage.org/KDF9_Flier.pdf |archive-date=2020-07-27}}</ref>

<ref name="Beard_1997">{{anchor|Beard-1997}}{{cite magazine |magazine=[[Resurrection (magazine)|Resurrection]] - The Bulletin of the Computer Conservation Society |issn=0958-7403 |publisher=[[Computer Conservation Society]] (CCS) |number=18 |date=Autumn 1997 |orig-date=1996-10-01 |title=The KDF9 Computer — 30 Years On |author-first=Bob |author-last=Beard |pages=7–15 [9, 11] |url=http://www.cs.man.ac.uk/CCS/Archive/Resurrection/pdf/res18.pdf |access-date=2020-07-27 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200727140754/http://www.cs.man.ac.uk/CCS/Archive/Resurrection/pdf/res18.pdf |archive-date=2020-07-27}} [https://web.archive.org/web/20200427075718/http://www.cs.man.ac.uk/CCS/res/res18.htm#c] (NB. This is an edited version of a talk given to North West Group of the Society at the Museum of Science and Industry, Manchester, UK on 1996-10-01. It mentions the term "slob"<!-- not a mere typo for "slab" as it mentioned twice in the article --> and "slob-octal" as equivalent to "syllabic octal".)</ref>

<ref name="CCS_2009">{{cite web |title=Architecture of the English Electric KDF9 computer. |version=Version 1 |date=September 2009 |publisher=[[Computer Conservation Society]] (CCS) |id=CCS-N4X2 |url=http://www.ourcomputerheritage.org/ccs-n2x2.pdf |access-date=2020-07-27 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200404195007/http://www.ourcomputerheritage.org/ccs-n2x2.pdf |archive-date=2020-0704-2704}} (NB. Refers to Beard's 1997 [[#Beard-1997|article]].)</ref>

}}