ASCII
Technology & Computing abbreviation · Computer
| Stands for | American Standard Code for Information Interchange |
|---|---|
| Categories | Technology & Computing |
ASCII stands for American Standard Code for Information Interchange, a computer abbreviation.
Character encoding that assigns the numbers 0 to 127 to English letters, digits, punctuation and control codes, so that A is 65 and a space is 32. It became the foundation of nearly every later text encoding, including UTF-8.
Example: Save the file as plain ASCII text so the old terminal can display it.
Usage notes
First published in 1963 by the American Standards Association, ASCII uses 7 bits. The many 8-bit "extended ASCII" code pages that added accented letters were mutually incompatible, one reason Unicode was created. Pronounced "ASK-ee". Control codes 10 (line feed) and 13 (carriage return) still define line endings, and ASCII art draws pictures with its characters.
Related abbreviations
More computer abbreviations
- ACPI – Advanced Configuration and Power Interface
- AD – Active Directory
- Alt – Alternate key
- AltGr – Alternate Graphic key
- APFS – Apple File System
- BIOS – Basic Input/Output System
- BOM – Byte order mark
- BSOD – Blue Screen of Death
- Btrfs – B-tree file system
- BYOD – Bring your own device
- CAD – Computer-aided design
- CAM – Computer-aided manufacturing