
\S byte:  bit:  byte number:  character number \S

A byte is a unit of storage in the computer.  One byte represents one
character.  Files contain characters and each character requires one byte
of storage. In UNIX systems a byte is composed of eight binary bits.  
That means that each byte is eight digits and each digit is either a 
zero or one. The position that each character is in, relative to the 
other characters in the file, is called the character number or byte 
number.

