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Date:         Mon, 16 Aug 1993 12:22:18 -0400
Reply-To: John Cowan <snark!cowan@GVLS1.VFL.PARAMAX.COM>
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From: John Cowan <snark!cowan@GVLS1.VFL.PARAMAX.COM>
Subject:      Re: bits and binits
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To: Erik Rauch <rauch>
In-Reply-To:  <9308141835.AA09276@relay1.UU.NET> from "Jeff Prothero" at Aug 14,
              93 11:38:58 am
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la djef. proferos. cusku di'e

> Please note that the information-theoretic concept of a 'bit' is
> quite unrelated to the computer science concept of a 'bit'.  Last
> time I took a class which needed to discuss both, we used 'binit'
> for 'binary digit' and 'bit' for the information-theoretic term.
> (If it had been a CSci class, maybe CSci would have gotten 'bit' *grin*.)

Without presuming to dispute your metaphysics, it seems to me that your
distinction between "bits" and "binits" could equally well be mapped into
a distinction between information and data, both measurable in bits.

--
John Cowan      cowan@snark.thyrsus.com         ...!uunet!lock60!snark!cowan
                        e'osai ko sarji la lojban.