[OT] Why is it called string?

[Brian Kelley]

Istvan Albert wrote:
> P at draigBrady.com wrote:
> 
>> I'm always surprised by the number of people
>> in computing that don't know this.

Coloquially (in american-english):

A "bit" used to be half a quarter and therefore there are also 8 bits to 
a dollar.  Coincidence or a play on words?  Some of us here are making 
our livings using "pieces of eight", so to speak.  Anyway, this brings 
up this reather mildly amusing chart for pricing memory (from 
http://www.thehumanitarian.org/faq.php)

1 Megabyte	        1024 Kilobytes
1 Kilobyte	        1024 Bytes
1 Byte	                8 Bits
1 Shave and a Haircut	2 Bits
1 Bit	                $0.125
$1	                8 Bits
1 Byte	                $1
1 Kilobyte	        $1024
1 Megabyte	        $1048576

-- 
Brian Kelley                                  bkelley at wi.mit.edu
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research   617 258-6191