- CODE:
- Symbols or values which stand for symbols, values, sequences, or even operations (as in computer "opcodes"). As opposed to a cipher, which operates only on individual characters or bits, classically, codes also represent words, phrases, and entire sentences. One application was to decrease the cost of telegraph messages. In modern usage, a code is often simply a correspondence between information (such as character symbols) and values (such as the ASCII code or Base-64), although computer opcodes do have independent meanings and variable lengths. Coding is a very basic part of modern computation and generally implies no secrecy or information hiding. Some codes are "secret codes," however, and then the transformation between the information and the coding is kept secret.
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