Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!cmcl2!nrl-cmf!ames!ptsfa!ihnp4!homxb!mtuxo!mtune!codas!usfvax2!pdn!alan From: alan@pdn.UUCP (Alan Lovejoy) Newsgroups: comp.lang.modula2 Subject: Re: Word Size Message-ID: <1754@pdn.UUCP> Date: Wed, 11-Nov-87 11:17:01 EST Article-I.D.: pdn.1754 Posted: Wed Nov 11 11:17:01 1987 Date-Received: Sat, 14-Nov-87 06:04:53 EST References: Reply-To: alan@pdn.UUCP (0000-Alan Lovejoy) Organization: Paradyne Corporation, Largo, Florida Lines: 18 In article Info-Modula2 Distribution List writes: >How big is a word? It seems to be common practice to implement INTEGERS >and CARDINALS as 16 bit words, and use LONGINT and LONGCARD for 32 bits. > >My own opinion would be to implement 32 bit integers and such, I just wanted >to hear some other opinions. I think that 16 bits should be a *minimum* size for a word, and that 32 bits should be a *minimum* size for a longword. Also SIZE(word) = SIZE(CARDINAL) = SIZE(INTEGER) and SIZE(LONGWORD) = SIZE(LONGCARD) = SIZE(LONGINT). If the instruction set of the machine supports longwords greater than 32 bits, then a LONGWORD should be that size. A WORD should be an intermediate size between the shortest (byte?) and the longest operand size. LONGWORDs should be bigger than WORDs. The BSI M2 committee intends to have 3 standard sizes for all number types: "short" "normal" and "long". A "SHORTWORD" is probably a byte. --alan@pdn