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From: Keith Thompson <kst-u@mib.org>
Newsgroups: comp.lang.c
Subject: Re: A glitch regarding the usual malloc() idiom
Date: Sun, 24 Jul 2016 19:14:13 -0700
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jameskuyper@verizon.net writes:
[...]
> There are CHAR_BIT padding bits in a padding byte.
[...]

As I just mentioned in response to Richard Heathfield, the standard
(almost) consistently uses the the term "padding bits" to refer to
bits within the representation of an integer that do not contribute
to its value, and "padding bytes" to refer to bytes within the
representation of a structure or union that are not part of the
representation of any member.

A collection of CHAR_BIT padding bits is just CHAR_BIT padding bits.
The collection, though it happens to be the same size as a byte,
might not even be addressible, which means it would not meet the
standard's definition of a "byte".

-- 
Keith Thompson (The_Other_Keith) kst-u@mib.org  <http://www.ghoti.net/~kst>
Working, but not speaking, for JetHead Development, Inc.
"We must do something.  This is something.  Therefore, we must do this."
    -- Antony Jay and Jonathan Lynn, "Yes Minister"