ABSTRACT
The widespread availability of computers and computer-based systems requires a precise definition of data representation. Although human communication with computers is at a high level and most users do not care about the internal representation, it is needed to assure proper functioning of the system. This definition is not different from the “protocols” that were defined in order to provide communications between humans themselves, such as the natural languages. Writing was developed in order to provide a mechanism for representing language in a more visual form. This is done by a set of symbols (letters and numbers) that represent sounds defined in the language. Only after the language was defined could the writing symbols (letters, numbers) be developed, and this paved the way for written communication between humans, that is, books and newspapers as well as information displayed and printed by computers. The agreed-upon convention for representing a natural language was developed in the early stages of human development, and it provided the mechanism for written communication that is not confined to face-to-face discussions. Very well-known examples are ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs and the Cuneiform scripts, which were used over 5000 years ago. Rapid technological advancements and the development of analog and later digital communication links provide the means to communicate with people even if they are far away. For establishing such communications, the various systems (i.e., telephone, telegraph, facsimile, etc.) had to use a predefined encoding system. Such a system that has already been mentioned was the Hollerith punched card, which used the holes in the card to represent data.
