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From: gwyn@brl-smoke.ARPA (Doug Gwyn )
Newsgroups: net.lang.c
Subject: Re: sizeof(char)
Message-ID: <5254@brl-smoke.ARPA>
Date: Thu, 6-Nov-86 21:44:10 EST
Article-I.D.: brl-smok.5254
Posted: Thu Nov  6 21:44:10 1986
Date-Received: Fri, 7-Nov-86 22:57:14 EST
References: <4617@brl-smoke.ARPA> <657@dg_rtp.UUCP> <55@cartan.Berkeley.EDU> <5141@brl-smoke.ARPA> <126@olamb.UUCP>
Reply-To: gwyn@brl.arpa (Doug Gwyn (VLD/VMB) <gwyn>)
Organization: Ballistic Research Lab (BRL), APG, MD.
Lines: 11

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.

When fully elaborated to address the related issues, this idea differs
from what I have proposed in only two fundamental ways:
	(1) no support for smallest addressable chunk sizes other than
		8 bits;
	(2) introduction of a new keyword, one likely to be in heavy
		use in existing carefully-written C code.