EBCDIC - Extended binary coded decimal interchange code

This encoding scheme was a extension of a scheme used on punch card computers. It was driven by IBM but very few people outside of IBM had much time for it. In fact due to many issues with the encoding scheme the programming community, for the most part, shunned and ridiculed it.

It works in a very similar way to ASCII but the differences are -

• letters are not always next to each other. For example I and J are 137 and 145 respectivly
• There are many derivations of it in use so you had to be very careful.
• Programming for it was very difficult.