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From: rbutterworth@watmath.UUCP (Ray Butterworth)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.c
Subject: Re: sizeof(char)
Message-ID: <3299@watmath.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 10-Nov-86 15:50:49 EST
Article-I.D.: watmath.3299
Posted: Mon Nov 10 15:50:49 1986
Date-Received: Mon, 10-Nov-86 23:52:27 EST
References: <4617@brl-smoke.ARPA> <657@dg_rtp.UUCP>
Organization: U of Waterloo, Ontario
Lines: 10

> In article <126@olamb.UUCP> kimcm@olamb.UUCP (Kim Chr. Madsen) writes:
> >Why not take the full step and let the datatype char be of variable size,
> >like int's and other types. Then invent the datatype ``byte'' which is exactly
> >8 bits long.

Who says bytes are 8 bits long?  They're 9 on the machine I use.
Why not make sizeof() return the number of bits?  I don't think
there is much argument about how big a bit is.  And the number of
bits is much more useful than the number of chars.  If you really
want the number of chars, use "sizeof(object)/sizeof(char)".