[Ham-Computers] Hex Editor

[Jay Eimer]

Hex for hexadecimal - that is, base 16 numbering system.  Since computers do
everything in base 2, and a byte is 8 bits, it's easier to "read" the raw
memory in bigger chunks than ones and zeros.  8 bits can be numbers from 0
to 255, so that's a little hard to read, too.  But if you break it in half,
each half byte (4 bits) is a number from 0 to 15 (base 16, or hexadecimal)
represented by digits 0-9 and then A, B, C, D, E and F for 10 thru 15.  Each
byte then becomes two hex characters.

A hex "editor" is just a viewer/editor to view the raw memory (or a binary
file).  Binary files can't be viewed in a text editor because all the bytes
with values below 20 (control characters) and above 128 (special characters
that may or may not be supported in any particular font) will show up as who
knows what (like in notepad, they all show up as squares).  In a hex editor,
you see (and possibly can change) the raw values as hex numbers, with the
normal two characters per byte.

HTH,

Jay 

-----Original Message-----
From: ham-computers-bounces at mailman.qth.net
[mailto:ham-computers-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of
Paulahkolik at aol.com
Sent: Sunday, August 21, 2005 20:26
To: ham-computers at mailman.qth.net
Subject: [Ham-Computers] Hex Editor

I just heard the term "Hex Editor" for the first time. Can anyone tell me
what it means?
 
 
 
Paul W5PDA/4
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