ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange)
ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange) is the most common format for text files in computers and on the Internet. In an ASCII file, each alphabetic, numeric, or special character is represented with a 7-bit binary number (a string of seven 0s or 1s). 128 possible characters are defined.
UNIX and DOS-based operating systems use ASCII for text files. Windows NT and 2000 uses a newer code, Unicode. IBM's S/390 systems use a proprietary 8-bit code called EBCDIC. Conversion programs allow different operating systems to change a file from one code to another.
ASCII was developed by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).
This was last updated in April 2005
Email Alerts
Register now to receive SearchCIO-MidMarket.com-related news, tips and more, delivered to your inbox.
By submitting you agree to receive email from TechTarget and its partners. If you reside outside of the United States, you consent to having your personal data transferred to and processed in the United States.
Privacy
More News and Tutorials
-
IT Leadership Award finalist Helane Stein turned a mobile sales app gap into a mobile movement inside and outside her company.
-
In SearchCIO-Midmarket.com's first tweet jam, participants proposed a cost-saving SMB mobile strategy focused on application development outsourcing.
-
The demand for mobile apps and how quickly those apps need to change is persuading some companies to embrace agile best practices.