ASCII (Meaning and Explanation)

We explain what the ASII code is and what this code of written characters is for. Complete table with ASCII codes.

What is ASCII?

In computing, it is known as ASCII (pronounced aski) or ASCII code to a written character code that is based on the Latin alphabet identical to that used by modern English. It comes from a renewal or reworking of the code used until 1963 in telegraphy, carried out by the American Standards Committee (today the ASA, for its acronym in English). His name is an acronym for American Standard Code for Information Interchange o American Standard Code for Information Interchange.

The original ASCII code used 7 bits of information to represent each of the corresponding characters, and an additional bit for error checking (for a total of 8 bits, that is, one byte). It should not be confused with various current 8-bit codes that extend ASCII to incorporate signs from languages other than English.

In simpler terms, it is a numerical translation of the alphabet used by English since computer systems only use binary code (0-1) as a language to represent their logical operations. Thus, each character (letter, sign or even blank space) corresponds in ASCII to an eight-bit numerical string (eight digits between 0 and 1, that is, in binary code).

The ASCII standard It was first published in 1967 and last updated in 1986 taking it to its contemporary version for 32 non-printable characters and 95 printable characters that follow them in numbering. It is a code used almost universally by current computer systems, essential for managing typographic devices, such as keyboards.

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As the usage needs of the code increased, extended versions of ASCII were created to facilitate the incorporation of languages other than English and specialized logical, mathematical or scientific descriptors. Even “ASCII art” or computer-generated images became popular through the strategic positioning of code chains on the page, which when viewed from a distance form figures and drawings.