within a given multi-
byte numeric representation, the most
significant byte has the lowest address (the word is stored
"big-end-first").
various
RISC designs current in mid-1993, are big-endian.
By July 1994 this parochial idiosyncracy was on the way out
and mailers started to reject big-endian addresses. By about
1996, people would look at you strangely if you suggested such
a bizarre thing might ever have existed.
(1998-08-09)