ASCII code: What it is, how it works and its importance

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The ASCII code is one of the most important character encoding systems in the history of computing. Thanks to it, computers and electronic devices can represent and manipulate text in a standardized way. Although today there are more advanced alternatives, understand the How ASCII works remains key in the world of programming and technology.

Throughout this article, we will explore what the ASCII code is, what its origin is, how it is structured, what types of characters it includes, and how it is used today. In addition, we will look at practical examples, its relationship with other standards such as Unicode and how to convert text to ASCII and vice versa.

What is ASCII code?

ASCII, acronym for 'American Standard Code for Information Interchange', is a character encoding standard based on the Latin alphabet. It was developed in the 60s and has become a fundamental method for communication between computing devices.

This code assigns numeric values ​​to characters, allowing computers to interpret letters, numbers and symbols in binary languageIn its original version, it used 7 bits to represent a total of 128 characters, although it was later extended to 8 bits to include additional characters such as accented letters and other symbols.

Origin and history of ASCII code

The development of the ASCII code began in 1963, when it was created to improve the codes used in telegraphy. The organization in charge of developing this standard was the American Standards Association (ASA), which would later become the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).

Initially, ASCII was designed with only 6 bits, but was soon expanded to 7 bits to allow for a greater number of combinations. In 1967, lowercase letters and other control codes were added, consolidating its use. In 1968, the US president, Lyndon B. Johnson, ordered all government computers to be ASCII compatible, ensuring their standardization.

ASCII code structure

The ASCII code organizes its characters into different groups, which can be classified as follows:

• Control characters (0-31 and 127): They are non-printable and are used to manage devices and control data flow. They include commands such as line feed and carriage return.
• Printable characters (32-126): They include letters (upper and lower case), numbers, mathematical symbols and punctuation marks.
• Extended ASCII (128-255): Characters from other languages ​​are included, such as the letter ñ, accents and special symbols.

Examples of ASCII representation

The ASCII code works by assigning a number to each character. Some examples are:

• A: 0100 0001
• B: 0100 0010
• 5: 0011 0101
• @: 0100 0000
• Blank space: 0010 0000

Using ASCII code in electronic devices

ASCII is still used in multiple contexts within computing:

• Keyboards: Each key has an assigned ASCII code that allows computers to interpret user input.
• Text files: Programs like Notepad and other basic text editors use ASCII as the default format.
• Networks and telecommunications: Protocols such as SMTP (email) and HTTP use ASCII characters to operate.

Conversion between ASCII and binary

To convert text into ASCII code, follow these steps:

1. Identifying ASCII characters: Each letter, number or symbol has a corresponding ASCII code.
2. Convert ASCII code to binary: Each character has an 8-bit binary representation.
3. Read the conversion: ASCII text is represented in binary to be understood by computers.

For example, if we take the text 'ABC', we obtain these representations:

• A → 01000001
• B → 01000010
• C → 01000011

Relationship between ASCII and Unicode

Although ASCII has been a fundamental standard, with the advancement of technology the need arose to represent characters from other languages. This is how Unicode, a standard that significantly expands the number of available characters.

Unicode allows for the representation of characters from multiple alphabets and uses different encoding formats, such as UTF-8, which is compatible with ASCII but expands its possibilities.

ASCII Art: A Form of Digital Expression

A curious use of the ASCII code is the ASCII art. This involves creating images using only text characters. This type of art became popular in the early days of computing, when graphical interfaces were limited.

ASCII art example:

:-) (smiley face) <3 (heart)

Digital artists have created complex works using ASCII characters, some even replicated on dot matrix printers.

Limitations of ASCII code

Although ASCII has had a huge impact on computing, it presents certain limitations:

• Limited range: Only includes characters from the English alphabet, with no support for other languages ​​that use accented or special characters.
• reduced capacity: Its original version could only represent 128 characters, which led to the creation of extended versions.
• Obsolescence: Unicode has now replaced ASCII in most applications, allowing for better global compatibility.

Curiosities about ASCII

The ASCII code has left its mark on the history of computing. Some interesting facts include:

• ASCII was used in early video games to represent graphics on screen.
• ASCII control codes are still used in printers and text terminals.
• Some older operating systems stored text information exclusively in ASCII.

ASCII code has been a fundamental pillar of computing. Its simplicity and universality enabled standardized communication between devices for decades. Although it has been largely superseded by Unicode, it remains relevant in certain areas such as programming, text storage, and data transmission.