Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!princeton!caip!cbmvax!grr
From: grr@cbmvax.cbm.UUCP (George Robbins)
Newsgroups: net.micro.amiga
Subject: Re: Using Astartup.obj instead of Lstartup.obj,  C Philosophy
Message-ID: <412@cbmvax.cbmvax.cbm.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 16-Jun-86 00:33:22 EDT
Article-I.D.: cbmvax.412
Posted: Mon Jun 16 00:33:22 1986
Date-Received: Tue, 17-Jun-86 23:20:06 EDT
References: <8606132340.AA09523@pavepaws>
Reply-To: grr@cbmvax.UUCP (George Robbins)
Organization: Commodore Technology, West Chester, PA
Lines: 40

In article <8606132340.AA09523@pavepaws> dillon@PAVEPAWS.BERKELEY.EDU (Matt Dillon) writes:
>
>Note on 16/32 bit int compiling:
>
>	I myself use 32-bit int compiling exclusively (maybe because I only
>have Lattice C).  A lot of my code reflects this by the general assumption
>that pointers are the same size as ints.   Frankly, I don't care a whit 
>about portability because I have found, over the years, that porting
>somebody else's programs to a different machine (example: BSD4.2 to PC-XT)
>usually requires a major overhaul. 
>
>	I just assume the machine I'm porting to has a 32 bit compiler on it.
>Don't get me wrong though... If I intend to write a general program which
>sticks to simple OPEN's and STDIO that would be useful on any machine, I'll
>write it portable and strict.
>
>	And besides, 16 bit machines are going out the door... when, in
>a decade, 32 bit machines go away in favor of 64 bit machines (or whatever),
>my code will be completely upward compatible.
>
>						-Matt

Matt,

	The Berkeley in you is showing.  If you have a machine that has
a 16 bit processor, runs faster with 16 bit operands and generates
smaller code, it is just plain lazy to say 'looks like 32 bits to me'.

	As you pointed out, assuming that pointers and integers are
the same length cause no end of portability problems.  The people who
decided that an int on a VAX should be 32 bits did the micro-world a
big disfavor, and the doubled it with a 'nothing smaller than a VAX
is worth worrying about...' attitude.

	Call a pointer a pointer, and an integer an integer (oops,
I mean a short)...
-- 
George Robbins - now working with,	uucp: {ihnp4|seismo|caip}!cbmvax!grr
but no way officially representing	arpa: cbmvax!grr@seismo.css.GOV
Commodore, Engineering Department	fone: 215-431-9255 (only by moonlite)