Flakey bit

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A flakey bit (German: flutterhaftes, inconsistent bit ), also known as a fuzzy bit or weak bit , is a binary memory cell in information technology that does not have a clear digital status due to a media property , access technology or coding . In the case of multiple read accesses, this can be represented as a statistical distribution of the two possible states 0 or 1.

Explanation and application

A flakey bit can be an unwanted property, e.g. B. as a result of a defective medium (material defect) or reading device, but also a deliberate, consciously created property. For example, in the 1980s and 1990s, bits of this kind were deliberately created in magnetic media such as floppy disks through inadequate formatting in order to then serve as a copy protection mechanism . An example of this is the computer game Dungeon Master , in which inconsistencies in the case of multiple read accesses to such a bit were checked when the software was operated and was a prerequisite for operation. Since common floppy disk drives cannot generate such bits, this was an effective mechanism for preventing illegal digital copies . Since the hardware used to generate such bits was very expensive, one of the few possible approaches to circumventing such protection was to deactivate the test routine in the software.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Jon Williams: The fuzzy bit ( English ) New York CTO. May 31, 2007. Retrieved January 21, 2011.
  2. ↑ weak bit ( English ) American National Standard T1.523-2001: Telecom Glossary 2000. 2001. Archived from the original on December 3, 2008. Retrieved on January 21, 2011.
  3. ↑ Flakey Bits ( English ) Software Preservation Society. June 14, 2006. Retrieved January 4, 2011.
  4. ↑ Kevin R. Kachikian: Copy protection for computer discs ( English ) Software Heaven, Inc. July 24, 1986. Retrieved January 4, 2011.
  5. ↑ Christophe Fontanel: Technical Documentation - Copy Protection ( English ) Dungeon Master Encyclopedia. January 29, 2009. Retrieved January 4, 2011.
  6. ↑ Christophe Fontanel: Technical Documentation - Detailed analysis of the Dungeon Master and Chaos Strikes Back for Atari ST Floppy Disks ( English ) Dungeon Master Encyclopedia. January 18, 2009. Retrieved February 8, 2011.