[jlokier]

A byte is not always 8 bits on old machines, though it is standardised as 8 bits nowadays.

This is why network RFCs talk of "octets", to avoid the ambiguity. Octets are always 8 bits.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octet_(computing)

[duped]

The definition of a byte today is different than the definition of byte when those machines were manufactured. Just like how 'foot' is now standardized(*)

(* technically, a 'foot' is not a standard unit of measure but that's due to the long history of 'foot' not being standardized until relatively recently)

[fc417fc802]

No. 8 bit bytes are the de facto standard but that is in no way official nor the definition of the word. You can find modern niche projects with non-8-bit bytes (and by extension non-32 or 64 bit words).

[djmips]

I didn't realize that there was a 16 bit name called a 'chomp' haha. But more formally hextet.