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<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1" standalone="no"?>
<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> </td><th width="60%" align="center">D</th><td width="20%" align="right"> <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
(including ASR-33 teletypes and PRIME minicomputers) that results in all
characters having their high (0x80) bit forced on. This of course makes
transporting files to other systems much more difficult, not to mention the
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)
minicomputers. Folklore has it that PRIME adopted the reversed-8-bit
convention in order to save 25 cents per serial line per machine; PRIME
old-timers, on the other hand, claim they inherited the disease from
Honeywell via customer NASA's compatibility requirements and struggled
heroically to cure it. Whoever was responsible, this probably qualifies as
one of the most <a href="../C/cretinous.html"><i class="glossterm">cretinous</i></a> design tradeoffs ever
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> </td><td width="20%" align="center"><a accesskey="u" href="../D.html">Up</a></td><td width="40%" align="right"> <a accesskey="n" href="dread-questionmark-disease.html">Next</a></td></tr><tr><td width="40%" align="left" valign="top">drain </td><td width="20%" align="center"><a accesskey="h" href="../index.html">Home</a></td><td width="40%" align="right" valign="top"> dread questionmark disease</td></tr></table></div></body></html>