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From: tp@ndm20
Newsgroups: net.lang.c
Subject: Re: Dumb question on dyn. mem. alloc (i
Message-ID: <3400001@ndm20>
Date: Tue, 30-Jul-85 12:06:00 EDT
Article-I.D.: ndm20.3400001
Posted: Tue Jul 30 12:06:00 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 3-Aug-85 01:37:10 EDT
References: <1035@homxa.UUCP>
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Nf-ID: #R:homxa.UUCP:-103500:ndm20:3400001:000:764
Nf-From: ndm20!tp    Jul 30 11:06:00 1985


>I just realised a major problem with (void *). On machines like the HP-1000
>a pointer to a byte and a pointer to a word don't have the same bit-pattern.

That is probably try of ANY machine which is addressed by some unit larger
than a byte. We use a Harris H series computer, which is word addresseable
(24-bit words, even), and a pointer to a char definately does NOT look like
a pointer to anything else. You have to cast them properly. I don't know about
void, as I haven't seen the ANSI C draft, but on the Harris, anything that 
returns a "generic" pointer must return a char pointer with word alignment.
It then MUST be cast to the appropriate type (which reformats the pointer
properly). A pointer to void would presumably have to use the same approach.