Why DEL is at the end of ASCII (I have a theory! -- well, maybe?)
PopGreene @ PopGreene @programming.dev Posts 0Comments 3Joined 3 yr. ago
PopGreene @ PopGreene @programming.dev
Posts
0
Comments
3
Joined
3 yr. ago
It's about Punch Tape. Old Teletype terminals allowed P-tape to be "written" and read. If the typist made a mistake, they could back up the tape and type "Rub Out." That would write a DEL, effectively punching holes across the tape - effectively a bitwise OR. P-tape readers were designed to ignore the DEL.