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octal

Refers to the base-8 number system, which uses just eight unique symbols (0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7). Remember that no one working with octal is a fashion statement; you can't be dressed to the nines and work with octal! The most common use for octal today is on UNIX servers, setting the rights for files with CHMOD, though we also have an Octal Time Display Calculator. With the advent of hexadecimal computers, this technology is nearly antiquated. Manufacturers that used it in the 60's, 70's and 80's such as Data General, Digital, General Automation, Point 4, DDC and Honeywell have all embraces the more efficient qualities of HEX (base-16). Programs often display data in octal format because it is relatively easy for humans to read and can easily be translated into binary format, which is the most important format for computers. By contrast, decimal format is the easiest format for humans to read because it is the one we use in everyday life, but translating between decimal and binary formats is relatively difficult. In octal format, each digit represents three binary digits; for example, the octal number 3456 is 011 100 101 110 in binary.

octal.txt · Last modified: 2012/10/04 15:50 by smashtv