How does the ASCII character set "draw" characters?
by jsbjsb001 from LinuxQuestions.org on (#4W2DJ)
I've been watching the video's GazL linked to in another thread of mine, and Caleb talks about how C uses the ASCII character set, but I have a few questions...
While I'm not really sure how to ask my questions in a way that will make sense, so I'll start off with what I *think* I know first, and hopefully that can make it clear exactly what I'm not sure about. So here's what I *think* I know: C uses ASCII to know what the allowed characters are, and a character set basically defines the "allowed characters". Each "allowed character" has both an ASCII number and a corresponding binary (base2) number. Correct? Assuming I'm right in saying that; I get that and that's how C "knows" what character is what, and the computer deals in numbers and has no concept of spoken languages.
But while I've tried to search for the answers to my questions below, all my searches have failed me. More precisely, have only told me what I think I already (being what I said above).
So now on to my questions: Where is the ASCII character set itself stored? Where does the computer actually "look" to lookup a letter if the computer only knows binary? As it doesn't seem to me that it looks at a file on the hard/SSD/whatever drive, let alone a USB stick, etc.
Does the ASCII character set itself tell the computer which pixels to "light up" on the screen to form say for example, the letter "A"? In other words; how does the character set "tell" the computer how to draw a given letter, like for example, and once again an "A"?
Because, and from what I've read, if you're talking about a font, well the font file tells the computer how to draw a given letter. So that seems to explain it in regards to fonts, like for example "Times New Roman". But how does it work in regards to ASCII? That's what I'm not getting.
Hopefully I make at least some sense there. Thanks for any help with that.
James
While I'm not really sure how to ask my questions in a way that will make sense, so I'll start off with what I *think* I know first, and hopefully that can make it clear exactly what I'm not sure about. So here's what I *think* I know: C uses ASCII to know what the allowed characters are, and a character set basically defines the "allowed characters". Each "allowed character" has both an ASCII number and a corresponding binary (base2) number. Correct? Assuming I'm right in saying that; I get that and that's how C "knows" what character is what, and the computer deals in numbers and has no concept of spoken languages.
But while I've tried to search for the answers to my questions below, all my searches have failed me. More precisely, have only told me what I think I already (being what I said above).
So now on to my questions: Where is the ASCII character set itself stored? Where does the computer actually "look" to lookup a letter if the computer only knows binary? As it doesn't seem to me that it looks at a file on the hard/SSD/whatever drive, let alone a USB stick, etc.
Does the ASCII character set itself tell the computer which pixels to "light up" on the screen to form say for example, the letter "A"? In other words; how does the character set "tell" the computer how to draw a given letter, like for example, and once again an "A"?
Because, and from what I've read, if you're talking about a font, well the font file tells the computer how to draw a given letter. So that seems to explain it in regards to fonts, like for example "Times New Roman". But how does it work in regards to ASCII? That's what I'm not getting.
Hopefully I make at least some sense there. Thanks for any help with that.
James