bitness

bit +‎ -ness

• Audio (UK)

  (file)

bitness (usually uncountable, plural bitnesses)

1. (computing) The architecture of a computer system or program in terms of how many bits (binary digits) compose the basic values it can evaluate.
   • 1995 August, InfoWorld, volume 17, number 30:

     Execute an API or DLL call of the wrong bitness from within any of these programs and the result is an unrecoverable run-time error.

   • 1995, Microsoft Corporation, Microsoft office 95 data access reference:

     Thunking allows parameters to be pushed correctly on the stack, enables a DLL of a different bitness to load in your process, and converts memory addresses...

   • 1997, Stan Mitchell, Inside the Windows 95 file system:

     Since both user mode and kernel mode have the same "bitness," 16-bit and 32-bit stacks do not need to be distinguished.

   • 1998, Chris Sells, Windows telephony programming: a developer's guide to TAPI:

     Table 7.1 summarizes the bitness requirements for TSPs under the various versions of TAPI and Windows.

• Nesbits