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From: henry@utzoo.UUCP (Henry Spencer)
Newsgroups: net.lang.c
Subject: Re: SIZEOF
Message-ID: <5010@utzoo.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 4-Feb-85 19:58:47 EST
Article-I.D.: utzoo.5010
Posted: Mon Feb  4 19:58:47 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 4-Feb-85 19:58:47 EST
References: <347@ecr.UUCP> <393@rlgvax.UUCP>, <1960@wateng.UUCP>
Organization: U of Toronto Zoology
Lines: 12

> I have a feeling that [this] integer size [32 bits on 68000] was picked
> more for porting convenience than anything else...

Very probably.  While rules like "don't assume pointers and integers
are the same size" and "don't assume *(char *)0 == '\0'" are good
advice for writing new code, an unfortunate amount of old code breaks
them.  You get a choice of having to fix it all, or arranging for the
dubious assumptions to remain true.  For obvious reasons, many people
with a product to get out the door have taken the latter approach.
-- 
				Henry Spencer @ U of Toronto Zoology
				{allegra,ihnp4,linus,decvax}!utzoo!henry