Before international standards locked it down, a "byte" of computer data was not strictly eight bits, and could legally range anywhere from a single bit up to forty-eight bits depending on the hardware manufacturer.

A closer look

Before international standards locked it down, a "byte" of computer data was not strictly eight bits, and could legally range anywhere from a single bit up to forty-eight bits depending on the hardware manufacturer. Early computer scientists were basically treating data measurement like a chaotic farmer's market where a "dozen" eggs could mean whatever the vendor felt like that morning. It wasn't until the 1970s that the eight-bit byte became the definitive standard, mostly because IBM decided it was convenient for their mainframe architecture. We treat gigabytes and terabytes as unshakeable laws of physics, completely ignoring the fact that our entire digital measurement system is just an arbitrary corporate compromise. It is terrifying to realize the foundational mathematics of the digital age weren't handed down by god, but negotiated by chain-smoking engineers in short-sleeve button-downs who just wanted their punch cards to line up