Terminology
- bit
- smallest unit of information (1/0, true/false, on/off...): Coined by John Tukey in 1946 (internal memo 1947). First published use by Claude Shannon in 1948.
- byte
- smallest usable data size for a processor: Coined by Werner Bucholz (internal memo 1956) to describe 1-6 bit bytes.
- nybble
- half a byte: unknown origin (referenced in IBM 360 documentation?).
- word
- native data size for a processor: Used by Alan Turing, *Proposed Electronic Calculator* (“The ACE Report”).
References
- bit
- Shannon, Claude. 1948. “A Mathematical Theory of Communication”. Bell System Technical Journal 27 (3): 379–423.
- Tropp, Henry. 1984. “Origin of the Term bit”. Annals of the History of Computing 6 (2): 152–155.
- byte
- Bucholz, Werner. 1977. “The Word ‘Byte’ Comes of Age…” BYTE 2 (2): 144.
- ???, 1981. “???”. Annals of the History of Computing 3 (1): ???.