Message-Id: <199801220817.KAA08394@ankara.duzen.com.tr>
Comments: Authenticated sender is <mitch AT ankara DOT duzen DOT com DOT tr>
From: "S. M. Halloran" <mitch AT duzen DOT com DOT tr>
Organization: User RFC 822- and 1123-Compliant
To: djgpp AT delorie DOT com
Date: Thu, 22 Jan 1998 10:17:52 +0200
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Subject: Re: 64 bit integers ??!?
In-reply-to: <34C6845C.25AC@cs.com>
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On 21 Jan 98, John M. Aldrich was found to have commented thusly:

> S. M. Halloran wrote:
> > 
> > No, we will see Java.  This whole nonsense regarding the
> > size of integral data types in C has been used as a stick to beat the
> > language and its descendants.  It is probably unrealistic to expect a
> > once-and-for-all-time standard from ISO/ANSI since the nature of
> > human thought and invention and of progess is such that we really
> > can't anticipate what will be in front of our noses in the next 5
> > years, let alone 500.
> 
> While I agree with your point about progress, I don't understand
> what you mean by "used as a stick to beat the language."  The ANSI C
> standard is _specifically_ open-ended; it says "greater than or
> equal to," as opposed to "equal to."  How can this limit anybody,
> unless they don't fully understand how the standard works.  If so,
> that's their fault, or the fault of whoever taught them the
> language.
>
> I don't know anything about Java (except that its syntax is vaguely
> C++-like), so I can't compare the two.  Perhaps you could provide
> more details?

Well, apparently the Java developers--perhaps thinking that not 
insisting on data types being exactly "equal to" a particular size 
represented a potential security problem--griped that because the C 
language did not set the sizeof(int) or sizeof(long) and so on IN 
STONE, their new language insists on data types such as a 'byte' 
being exactly 8 bits, a 'short' being exactly 16 bits, a 'long' being 
exactly 32 bits, and so on.  As I don't program in Java 
presently, Java programmers will please pardon my own hazy 
understanding of the proper names of the data types and their sizes.  
However, I am sure that one reason Java language creators gave for 
developing Java was to fix data type sizes in stone.

I am sure that the relative advantages and disadvantages of Java vs. 
C in this respect has been (and is being) debated among its 
advocates.


Mitch Halloran
Research (Bio)chemist
Duzen Laboratories Group
Ankara   TURKEY
mitch AT duzen DOT com DOT tr

other job title:  Sequoia's (dob 12-20-95) daddy