Octet, not byte

Some time ago in the early 2020s, I began to detest the use of the term byte to refer colloquially to 8-bit words. It felt imprecise but at the same time that was not the only reason I felt was why I disliked this. In late May of 2024 it occurred to me: octet is used to measure the distance or magnitude of data, whereas byte, being deprecated for such use, instead remains only to denominate the mass or volume of data.

In engineering contexts it is not yet immediately clear where octets begin or end and likewise with bytes, but as I endeavour to apply this piece of theory in my work on Sirius DOS and Byblos it will eventually become so. I will then author a formal theory that exactly elucidates the purpose of the distinction, and from there inspire people by identifying benefits of the idea.