Xref: utzoo comp.arch:7741 comp.misc:4586 comp.lang.misc:2430 comp.protocols.misc:432
Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!lll-lcc!ames!haven!uvaarpa!babbage!mac3n
From: mac3n@babbage.acc.virginia.edu (Alex Colvin)
Newsgroups: comp.arch,comp.misc,comp.lang.misc,comp.protocols.misc
Subject: Re: "big endian" and "little endian" - first usage for computer
Summary: right/left shift
Message-ID: <482@babbage.acc.virginia.edu>
Date: 4 Jan 89 22:40:55 GMT
References: <170@microsoft.UUCP> <4008@hubcap.UUCP>
Organization: University of Virginia
Lines: 17

> > The Inmos transputer is uniformly little-endian.  This applies to both
> > integers and floating-point numbers (where most others mess up).

You mean the beginning of a double looks like a float?

f(x) float x; { g(&x); } /* g() is actually passed a (double *) */

> Actually, where most little-endian machines screw up is storing the
> bits in the byte in the wrong order.  It is good to hear that somebody got it

On most of these machines, bits are stored vertically :-/. [half :-)]
If you can't index or address bits, there is no order.  If it makes you happy,
call a right shift (to less significance) a down shift, a left shift an up
shift.  The big/little thing only has meaning in addressing parts.

Another notational screw-up is where to put address 0 when drawing memory.  I
always put it at the top ("up there at the bottom of memory").