Information Systems 12 (E238) 2005
Data Communications: Standards
chaos
> Lawley > Information Systems > Year 12 > Data Communications > Standards

Standards—ISO, ANSI, IEEE, ASCII, SI, X.25, V.90, ASO

Acronym

Means

Some Common Uses

previously called:

International
Standards
Organization

Photographic film

ISO 802.3 (aka IEEE 802.3)

ISO 7816 SmartCard Programmers

American
National
Standards
Institute

computers (PCs)

IEEE (eye triple ee)

Institute of
Electical and
Electronic
Engineers

called “eye-triple-E”
RS-232 also called “serial port”
IEEE 802.3 (aka Ethernet)

ASCII (ass-key)

American
Standard
Code for
Information
Interchange

7-bit code for data communications

EBCDIC (eb-see-dic)

Extended
Binary
Coded
Decimal
Interchange
Code

(called “ebb-see-dic”)

8-bit code for data communications

SI

Système
Internationale

the “metric system”

X.25

ASO

Australian
Standards
Organisation

AS 3959-1999

Australian Standard for
building in bushfire prone areas

Australian Building Codes Board

V.90 v90.com

56 k modem standard

Système Internationale (SI) units are commonly called “the Metric System”

RS232 commonly called “serial port”

ISO 802.3 commonly called “Ethernet”

X.25 commonly called “Packet Switching”

Other Standards—Quality Assurance

The Origin of a Standard: “It’s always been like that!”
The US Standard railway gauge, (distance between rails), is 4 feet, 8.5 inches, an exceedingly odd number.
Q. So why was that gauge used?
A. Because that’s the way that they built them in England, and English expatriates built the first US Railways.

Q. So why did the English build them like that?

A. Because the first rail lines were built by the people who built the pre-railroad tramways, and that is the gauge that they used.

Q. So why did “THEY” use that gauge then?

A. Because the people who built the tramways used the same jigs and tools that they used for building the old horse-drawn wagons and carriages.

Q. So who built those old rutted roads?

A. The first long distance roads in Europe and Britain were built by Imperial Rome for their legions. The roads have been in use ever since.

Q. OK! So, why did the wagons have that particular odd wheel spacing?

A. Well, if they tried to use any other wheel spacing the wagon wheels would break on some of the old long roads in Britain, because that’s the spacing of the wheel ruts in the roads.

Q. And the ruts?

A. Roman war chariots made the initial ruts, which everyone else had to match for fear of destroying their wagon wheels and wagons. Since the chariots were made by, or for, Imperial Rome, they were all alike in the matter of wheel spacing.