ASCII Code: What is it, what is it used for, and what is its importance in computing and the Internet?

Imagine that when you had to write a message on your mobile phone or a text for a job on your computer, you had to write a large number of zeros (0) and ones (1); which is known as binary numbers, instead of doing it with letters and words.

Well, in case you didn't know, binary numbers are the only way your computer can process all the information it receives from the outside. All the orders and commands that we send you arrive at the processing center in the form of binaries.

But how does this information conversion happen? We'll be revealing all of that in this short installment we've prepared for you about... code «Aski», as this code is usually pronounced in our Spanish language.

What is ASCII code and what is it used for in computing?

Computers have a somewhat complex way of understanding and processing information, Basically, it receives the data in the form of characters and converts them into binary numbers, that is, into a cluster of ones and zeros.

The smallest units of information in these The characters are stored in 8 bits. These are generally a sequence of 8 binary digits, which can also be called octal numbers or octets.

The American Standard Code for Information Interchange, better known as ASCII, It is a character encoding that is based on the Roman or Latin alphabet. This serves to dictate the parameters that allow characters to be represented in bits, in the case of ASCII code, 7 bits.

In short, we can say that ASCII code It is an information translator between the user and the machine.

It allows for accelerating and optimizing the processing and storage of information on a computer while enhancing its communication with the outside world. It allows a total of 128 characters to be represented in its regular version, ranging from the numbers 0 to 127, with base 10.

These units are divided into two groups, which are the control of code and printables These include all the letters of the alphabet plus the symbols used on our keyboard. The extended version of the ASCII code provides twice as many, reaching up to 255 characters in decimal.

This version can include graphemes from older languages ​​such as Greek or Hebrew as needed, and in these tables the information is stored in 8 bits.

History and origin: Why was ASCII created?

As sad and regrettable as it may be, human beings have only made the most of our potential and increased our technology more during periods of war and crisis.

Approximately by the year 1945 during the development of the second world war, It was necessary to transmit messages in Morse code securely. This process was greatly expedited because the "dot and dash" of this could also easily be equivalent to the 1 and 0 of binary numbers, and for this they used the telegraphs of the time.

This first phase of what we know today as ASCII was developed by the Bell telecommunications company, which is now AT&T.

But it wasn't until 1963, thanks to the acceptance of the “American Standards Agency”, It was possible to reformulate many of the units that were already used in the old telegraphs, and also add many more in order to consolidate the ASCII code.

Despite the addition of new units, including new punctuation marks, accents, and lowercase letters, it still wasn't enough. That's why Years later IBM released the first extended version of the code, which reached 255 characters.

ASCII Control Characters: What are they and what are they used for?

In the ASCII code there are 33 codes that are not part of the known characters, These are the first ones, from the 0-31 and 127. They are designed as control units, facilitating the issuance of commands and control of both the computer and other external devices. It's worth noting that they could previously control printers and other equipment.

However, over time they have become obsolete, even so, They can be activated using the ALT key + the decimal number, but only from the numeric keypad.

For example, one of the most common symbols activated with this code is the @ symbol, which can be enabled using the keys ALT+ 64 of the numeric side keypad.

Printable ASCII characters: What are they and what are they used for?

In the printable symbols table We can include all those digits and letters used in writing, Leaving aside all punctuation marks for the moment.

Similarly, these can be activated by pressing the ALT keys + the exact decimal number combination. These range from 48-57 for the numbers 0 to 9, and from 65-90 for the uppercase alphabet, and from 97-122 for the lowercase alphabet.

Finally, We have a single printable character that is found alone, it is the "Space" number 32, This character is activated with the space bar. It is considered an invisible character among the printable characters because, although it cannot be seen, it is always present in our texts.

List of ASCII special characters: What are they and what are they used for?

Special symbols include all symbols, punctuation marks, and mathematical operations, which are also part of the printable characters, but are separated in this way.

The groups range from the decimal number 33-47, joined by 58-64, followed by 91-96, and finally from 123-126:

ASCII vs Unicode: What are the main differences between them?

Unicode can be described as an improved version of ASCII, since Unicode includes the same characters as ASCII without modifying any of them. but it can handle a greater quantity of these.

Its main objective is to be compatible with all devices, But let's see what the basic differences are that distinguish these 2 codes:

• The main difference is that Unicode binary sequences are much longer and heavier than ASCII sequences, reaching up to 32 bits while ASCII only reaches up to 7 bits.
• Another difference between these codes is the number of characters, with ASCII having only 128 characters while Unicode reaches up to 221 characters in its standard version.
• Unicode is designed to support multiple languages ​​simultaneously, unlike ASCII code.

ASCII Art: What is this type of art created with this code?

This is an unconventional discipline that can be called a “Digital pointillism”.

Basically, the artist uses all the printable characters provided by the code, and in a simple text editor puts his imagination to work until he achieves truly admirable works.

This type of art has been widely used in older consoles that did not have the graphic processing capabilities of today. It was also present in the designs of early video games, and in some cases was useful for the graphic representation of diagrams.

While the concept may sound quite basic, ASCII art is one of the most versatile styles, capable of being combined with others to create pieces in landscapes, realism, cubism, and much more. This versatility has even led to its use as a filter in numerous multimedia editing applications and software.

Furthermore, it had a strong influence on internet culture. You probably haven't realized it, but deep down you're an ASCII artist.We've all sent those combinations of a semicolon followed by a closing parenthesis in text messages to wink at a contact ( 😉 These expressions are part of this art, and were the first "emoticons" in history.

Its influence is so great that both WhatsApp and Telegram or Facebook Messenger It allows you to add an emoticon by entering its ASCII version.However, it is also one of the most underrated art forms.