Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!csd4.milw.wisc.edu!bionet!apple!sun-barr!newstop!texsun!texbell!bigtex!natinst!sequoia!rpp386!jfh
From: jfh@rpp386.Dallas.TX.US (John F. Haugh II)
Newsgroups: comp.std.c
Subject: Re: Reserved names in ANSI C
Message-ID: <16802@rpp386.Dallas.TX.US>
Date: 17 Jul 89 18:08:40 GMT
References: <GEOFF.89Jun11231924@onyx.cs.warwick.ac.uk> <13680@haddock.ima.isc.com> <1598@cbnewsh.ATT.COM> <875@cbnewsl.ATT.COM> <316@mountn.dec.com> <884@cbnewsl.ATT.COM> <321@mountn.dec.com> <461@algor2.UUCP> <1989Jul1.234330.28732@utzoo.uucp> <7734@xyzzy.UUCP>
Reply-To: jfh@rpp386.cactus.org (John F. Haugh II)
Organization: I am NOT the NRA
Lines: 12

In article <7734@xyzzy.UUCP> meissner@tiktok.UUCP (Michael Meissner) writes:
>In case people are wondering why 5 characters, if you express the
>symbol in RAD-50 (radix 50) notation, you can fit 5 characters in
>32-bits.

RAD-50 gives you three characters per short, or six per long.  Also,
36-bit machines still abound with 6 6-bit characters per word.
-- 
John F. Haugh II                        +-Quote of the month club: ------------
VoiceNet: (512) 832-8832   Data: -8835  | "Computer security is to information
InterNet: jfh@rpp386.cactus.org         |  control as a chastity belt is to
UucpNet : <backbone>!bigtex!rpp386!jfh  +- birth control"    -- Doug Steves  --