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Could someone explain to me what "bits" are?

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Squall:
And why they aren't important anymore?  Thanks

Grey Ninja:
A bit is 1/8 of a byte.
A byte is 1/1024 of a kilobyte.
A kilobyte is 1/1024 of a megabyte.
a megabyte is 1/1024 of a gigabyte.
a gigabyte is 1/1024 of a terrabyte.

and so forth.

a computer uses a certain amount of bits when processing data.  The more bittage your processor has, the higher the numbers it can work with.  The thing is that after a while, it's really irrelevant how high of numbers you can have is.  In addition, many 32 bit processors are tweaked out enough to outperform a 64 bit processor.

Your computer has a 32 bit processor.  (At least I hope it does)

And there goes my dummied down version of a computer's workings.

RickPowers:
That's a lot of great information, Grey Ninja.  And yet, you managed to forget to tell him what a BIT is.  

A Bit is a ONE or a ZERO in computer binary language, also called ON (1) or OFF (0).

Sometimes, you might hear someone referring to "flipping a bit".  It means to change the state of something, just like flipping a light switch.

So here's a fun bit of trivia for you.  Have you ever noticed that in many 8-bit games, the number "255" seems to pop up a lot?  That's because in binary language, eight bits can only count up to 255 (starting from 0).  You can test this with any calculator by multiplying 2 (the number of states in binary) by itself eight times (2^8th power).  You'll get 256, or 255 if you start counting at Zero.

Grey Ninja:
OOPS!!!  Something was bothering me about my explanation...  (other than the horrid grammar), and I guess now I know what it was.  

It's true what they say.  Coding totally destroys your ability to communicate clearly.  

Rogue:
A binary digit.

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