Byte [B] to Gigabit [Gb] Converter

Definition: A byte is a unit of digital information that most commonly consists of eight bits. It is the fundamental unit of data storage and processing in most computer systems.

History/origin: The term 'byte' was coined by Werner Buchholz in 1956 during the early development of the IBM Stretch computer. It was originally intended to represent the number of bits used to encode a single character of text.

Current use: Bytes are used ubiquitously in computing to represent the size of files, storage capacity, and data transferred over networks. Larger units such as kilobytes, megabytes, gigabytes, and terabytes are multiples of the byte.

Definition: A gigabit (Gb) is a unit of data storage equal to 1,000,000,000 bits. It is a multiple of the bit and is commonly used to measure high-speed data transfer rates.

History/origin: Similar to the megabit, the gigabit uses the SI prefix 'giga' to denote one billion. Its usage grew with the increasing capacity and speed of digital communication technologies.

Current use: Gigabits are used to quantify very high data transfer rates, such as the speeds of Ethernet connections (e.g., Gigabit Ethernet) or fiber optic internet connections.