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From: rgenter@labs-b.bbn.com (Rick Genter)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.c
Subject: Re: sizeof(char), is it bigger than a breadbox?
Message-ID: <5386@brl-smoke.ARPA>
Date: Thu, 13-Nov-86 17:16:13 EST
Article-I.D.: brl-smok.5386
Posted: Thu Nov 13 17:16:13 1986
Date-Received: Thu, 13-Nov-86 22:01:22 EST
Sender: croot@brl-smoke.ARPA
Organization: Ballistic Research Lab (BRL), APG, MD.
Lines: 49

All of this talk about bits and bytes and chars and short chars and long chars
and ints and pointers and on and on have made me realize what all you people
are *really* fighting about.  C has blurred the distinction between the size
of data and the type of data, primarily through its use of the keywords int,
short, and char.  Note that "long" is OK: a "long float" (generally) gives you
a longer floating point datum than a "float".

What X3J11 really needs to do is specify a "fixed" type.  Then we could have
"fixed", "short fixed", "long fixed".  In addition, we should allow "short
float" on those architectures where you have three precisions of floating point
data (IBM 370s come to mind).

But what does this do for the poor bitmap programmer?  Well, we could add a
length specification, so that you say:

	fixed(1) bitmap[ 8 ][ 1024 ][ 1024 ];

for your bitmap image.  Of course, then we can add offsets, for those who want
real fixed point calculations:

	fixed(32,16) a_fixed_point_integer;

But what about those accouting types, who don't grok binary?  I know, let's
add a base specification!  We can limit ourselves to decimal for now:

	fixed decimal (10,2) profits;

Uh, oh.  I think I just invented PL/I.  Please, Mr. IBM, no, don't shoot!
Aauuggghhhh!!!!!!!

I love the "American" attitude presented in this group.  "If it caint be dun
in mah language, it aint wuth doin'!"  (or alternatively, "..., then we'll
change the language so it *cain* be dun!").  Let's face it, there is no such
thing as the perfect general purpose language (sorry PL/I and Ada fans), and
I think it is a mistake to try and create one, because there are conflicting
requirements across the set of all possible desired programs.   Can't we just
leave C alone?

By the way, has anyone else noticed that an increasing number of the articles
being posted contain LONG SEQUENCES of CAPITAL LETTERS, causing them to look
like something said by ZIPPY THE PINHEAD?  Rbj, have you been FOOLING with my
MAILBOX again?

					:-) Rick
--------
Rick Genter 				BBN Laboratories Inc.
(617) 497-3848				10 Moulton St.  6/512
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