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ebcdic |
3 definitions found From Jargon File (4.2.3, 23 NOV 2000) [jargon]: EBCDIC /eb's*-dik/, /eb'see`dik/, or /eb'k*-dik/ n. [abbreviation, Extended Binary Coded Decimal Interchange Code] An alleged character set used on IBM {dinosaur}s. It exists in at least six mutually incompatible versions, all featuring such delights as non-contiguous letter sequences and the absence of several ASCII punctuation characters fairly important for modern computer languages (exactly which characters are absent varies according to which version of EBCDIC you're looking at). IBM adapted EBCDIC from {{punched card}} code in the early 1960s and promulgated it as a customer-control tactic (see {connector conspiracy}), spurning the already established ASCII standard. Today, IBM claims to be an open-systems company, but IBM's own description of the EBCDIC variants and how to convert between them is still internally classified top-secret, burn-before-reading. Hackers blanch at the very _name_ of EBCDIC and consider it a manifestation of purest {evil}. See also {fear and loathing}. From The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (13 Mar 01) [foldoc]: EBCDIC {Extended Binary Coded Decimal Interchange Code} From V.E.R.A. -- Virtual Entity of Relevant Acronyms 13 March 2001 [vera]: EBCDIC Extended Binary-Coded Decimal Interchange Code
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