History of ASCII
When computers and communication devices needed a consistent method to represent text, ASCII was created. Pre-ASCII computers used numerous character encoding schemes, making information exchange problematic.
- In the early 1960s, ASA X3.2 Subcommittee produced a standard character encoding method. Bob Bemer’s group used Baudot and FIELDATA teleprinter codes. After several changes, ASCII ASA X3.4-1963 was released in 1963. The original version featured 128 7-bit binary characters.
- USASCII, ASA X3.4-1967, includes control characters. ASCII-1986 was updated in 1977 and 1986. ASCII’s highest standard.
- ASCII preceded EBCDIC, ISO-8859, and Unicode. Notwithstanding Unicode, ASCII is still used in computers because of its simplicity, compatibility, and historical value.
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