Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!clyde!att!osu-cis!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!mailrus!csd4.milw.wisc.edu!leah!itsgw!steinmetz!uunet!pdn!alan
From: alan@pdn.UUCP (Alan Lovejoy)
Newsgroups: comp.arch
Subject: Re: "big endian" and "little endian" - first usage for computer
Message-ID: <5254@pdn.UUCP>
Date: 1 Jan 89 22:20:38 GMT
References: <2766@cbnews.ATT.COM> <10147@well.UUCP> <13045@cup.portal.com> <15209@mimsy.UUCP> <6605@killer.DALLAS.TX.US>
Reply-To: alan@pdn.UUCP (0000-Alan Lovejoy)
Organization: Paradyne Corporation, Largo, Florida
Lines: 19

>On the other hand, if an easy way to identify the \0 byte is not
>available, faster compares does not help C code (usually).  Other languages are
>almost all helped with this characteristic, though.  (Is this because
>C was invented and developed in little-endian machines?)

Excuse my ignorance, but could someone please explain why a
little-endian machine would need or want to store character strings in
such a way that the n+1'th character's address is not one greater than
the address of the n'th character?

I eagerly await enlightenment.



-- 
Alan Lovejoy; alan@pdn; 813-530-8241; Paradyne Corporation: Largo, Florida.
Disclaimer: Do not confuse my views with the official views of Paradyne
            Corporation (regardless of how confusing those views may be).
Motto: If nanomachines will be able to reconstruct you, YOU AREN'T DEAD YET.