Twice what you previously had. Each additional bit in binary doubles
the possibilities. One bit can describe two states, two can describe
four, three can describe eight, etc...

Most 7-bit systems will actually use seven bits for encoding and use
the eighth bit for a parity check. This is a very simple error detection
scheme in which the total number of ones in a byte are counted and
the parity bit is added (or not added) to make the total odd or even
in accordance with whether odd or even parity was chosen for the
scheme. Any bit changed during transmission by noise would usually
cause a byte to be rejected by failing the parity check. The rejected
byte would have to be resent.

More modern error detection schemes have the added ability to
correct some errors rather than to just have the data resent. If the
parity bit is not needed for error detection, then why not use it as
part of the actual encoding - doubling the possibilities?

"D. Spencer Hines" wrote in message
...
Thank you.

What does that one bit get for you?

DSH
Lux et Veritas et Libertas
Vires et Honor

"FromTheRafters" wrote in message
...

"D. Spencer Hines" wrote in message
...

What's the difference between UTF-7 and UTF-8?

One bit.

And do we have to use Unicode to send messages in languages other than
English -- in order to get all the diacritics and Non-Latin alphabets?

Yes, that is you need more than ASCII offers.