bblloocckk -- Technical Information

A _b_l_o_c_k is  a mass of data that is  read at one time.  Blocks are different
lengths  under different  operating systems;  COHERENT  defines a  block as
being BBSSIIZZEE bytes long.

Information is read in blocks  from block-special devices, such as the hard
disk or floppy  disks.  This is done to increase  the speed with which data
are read from  these devices; reading characters one at  a time, such as is
done with  character-special devices such as terminals  or modems, would be
too slow.

_S_e_e _A_l_s_o
UUssiinngg CCOOHHEERREENNTT
ANSI Standard, section 3.6.2
