Binary code Binary code A binary code represents text, computer processor instructions, or any other data using a two-symbol system. The two-symbol system used is often the binary number system's 0 and 1. The binary code assigns a pattern of binary digits, also known as bits, to each character, instruction, etc. For example, a binary string of eight bits can represent any of 256 possible values and can, therefore, represent a wide variety of different items. In computing and telecommunications, binary codes are used for various methods of encoding data, such as character strings, into bit strings. Those methods may use fixed-width
Fat binary the data fork, in PEF format. Fat binaries were larger than programs supporting only the PowerPC or 68k, which led to the creation of a number of utilities that would strip out the unneeded version. In the era of small hard drives, when 80 MB hard drives were a common size, these utilities were sometimes useful, as program code was generally a large percentage of overall drive usage, and stripping the unneeded members of a fat binary would free up a significant amount of space on a hard drive. Fat binaries were a feature of NeXT's NeXTSTEP/OPENSTEP operating system, starting