Why BUS is called a BUS

By | June 3, 2012

 

If you are a geek , the term Bus will remind you of Data and address bus first and then you will remember about the huge vehicle that you used to commute . If you are a layman  you are only going to care about the transportation facility .

From my basic classes on microprocessors , I was curious about the term BUS . When one of my instructor explained the concept of data bus and address bus , I was worried about the meaning of the term Bus and wonder if  this term bear any relation to the transport vehicles we normally call bus.  .  We can define the BUS as just a collection of wires or lines on your PCB through which  data , address and control information are flowing in and out of your microprocessor . But that technical definition failed to explain why the bus is really called a bus .

The word BUS is derived from a Latin word called omnibus . It means ”  for every one ”  . So when the public transportation system comes which can be used by everyone , we begin to call it BUS.   The data lines of computers  are common lines of information flow and they are aptly called  BUS. So the BUS in computing terminology is closely associated with the obvious bus we see on our streets

 

 

One thought on “Why BUS is called a BUS

  1. Ananthi

    Somewhere I read like : computer buses were originally called as highways; however since the computer bus has electronic conductors and drivers, the term “highway” is replaced with bus

    Reply

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