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From: Tim Rentsch <tr.17687@z991.linuxsc.com>
Newsgroups: comp.lang.c++
Subject: Re: Union type punning in C++
Date: Tue, 14 Jan 2020 07:05:25 -0800
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"Chris M. Thomasson" <chris.m.thomasson.1@gmail.com> writes:

[...]

> I added in the extraneous base in the union out of some sort of
> reflex mixed with trying to just read from o.b.

Maybe you were thinking of programming in C.  In C there is often
benefit to have a "stub" type that serves mainly to differentiate
the "concrete" types.  AFAICT in C++ there is not, except perhaps
as some sort of aid to the reader.