Re: the language (and the role of Undefined Behavior therein)

From	Keith Thompson <kst-u@mib.org>
Newsgroups	comp.lang.c
Subject	Re: the language (and the role of Undefined Behavior therein)
Date	2015-08-24 18:21 -0700
Organization	None to speak of
Message-ID	<lnpp2cxiws.fsf@kst-u.example.com> (permalink)
References	(16 earlier) <026de000-b3bd-44b7-914e-0274671a3687@googlegroups.com> <mrbf41$mj9$1@dont-email.me> <2340e1b4-d142-4a20-986b-089e9f712c9c@googlegroups.com> <lna8thz3lo.fsf@kst-u.example.com> <d1225caa-a905-4e5c-b318-0fc3a4c7df08@googlegroups.com>

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David Kleinecke <dkleinecke@gmail.com> writes:
> On Sunday, August 23, 2015 at 8:30:00 PM UTC-7, Keith Thompson wrote:
>> David Kleinecke <dkleinecke@gmail.com> writes:
[...]
>> > Signed arithmetic is also a version of modulo UINT_MAX+1 with a
>> > different way of writing some of the integers.
>> 
>> No, it isn't.  C doesn't specify wraparound behavior for signed
>> integers; signed integer overflow has undefined behavior.
>
> All the C90 standard says is "The result of the binary + operator is
> the sum of the the operands." "Sum" is nowhere defined. I haven't
> found any discussion of "overflow".

C90 6.3, 5th paragraph (C11 6.5p2 changes "exception" to "exceptional
condition"):

    If an *exception* occurs during the evaluation of an expression
    (that is, if the result is not mathematically defined or not
    representable), the behavior is undefined.

This applies to signed and floating-point types, but not to
unsigned types, since the standard explicitly defines the result
of an unsigned operation whose mathematical value is outside the
range of the type (C90 6.1.2.5, C11 6.2.5p9).

>> If by "signed arithmetic" you mean something other that what's
>> specified by C (such as, perhaps, the signed arithmetic operations
>> implemented by some particular CPU), you should make that clear.
>  
> I doubt that any CPU does other than arithmetic modulo-two-to-the-
> number-of-bits-power. Different CPU's set different sets of flags -
> so the interpretations can differ.

CPUs that use one's-complement or sign-and-magnitude almost certainly
do not operate that way.  I believe some CPUs can be configured
to trap on overflow, or to do other odd things like saturating.
I concede that such behavior is rare, but you did say "any CPU".

-- 
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"

Thread

Re: the language (and the role of Undefined Behavior therein) supercat@casperkitty.com - 2015-08-18 16:19 -0700
  Re: the language (and the role of Undefined Behavior therein) Richard Damon <Richard@Damon-Family.org> - 2015-08-18 21:15 -0400
    Re: the language (and the role of Undefined Behavior therein) supercat@casperkitty.com - 2015-08-19 10:11 -0700
      Re: the language (and the role of Undefined Behavior therein) Ike Naar <ike@iceland.freeshell.org> - 2015-08-19 19:58 +0000
        Re: the language (and the role of Undefined Behavior therein) supercat@casperkitty.com - 2015-08-19 14:09 -0700
      Re: the language (and the role of Undefined Behavior therein) James Kuyper <jameskuyper@verizon.net> - 2015-08-19 16:10 -0400
        Re: the language (and the role of Undefined Behavior therein) supercat@casperkitty.com - 2015-08-19 16:01 -0700
          Re: the language (and the role of Undefined Behavior therein) James Kuyper <jameskuyper@verizon.net> - 2015-08-19 20:23 -0400
            Re: the language (and the role of Undefined Behavior therein) supercat@casperkitty.com - 2015-08-20 10:35 -0700
              Re: the language (and the role of Undefined Behavior therein) Keith Thompson <kst-u@mib.org> - 2015-08-20 12:32 -0700
                Re: the language (and the role of Undefined Behavior therein) supercat@casperkitty.com - 2015-08-20 13:31 -0700
                Re: the language (and the role of Undefined Behavior therein) donalhambra@gmail.com - 2015-08-20 14:23 -0700
                Re: the language (and the role of Undefined Behavior therein) supercat@casperkitty.com - 2015-08-20 16:13 -0700
                Re: the language (and the role of Undefined Behavior therein) Keith Thompson <kst-u@mib.org> - 2015-08-20 17:48 -0700
                Re: the language (and the role of Undefined Behavior therein) supercat@casperkitty.com - 2015-08-21 01:32 -0700
                Re: the language (and the role of Undefined Behavior therein) Keith Thompson <kst-u@mib.org> - 2015-08-21 18:34 -0700
                Re: the language (and the role of Undefined Behavior therein) supercat@casperkitty.com - 2015-08-21 22:11 -0700
                Re: the language (and the role of Undefined Behavior therein) Richard Damon <Richard@Damon-Family.org> - 2015-08-22 09:41 -0400
                Re: the language (and the role of Undefined Behavior therein) glen herrmannsfeldt <gah@ugcs.caltech.edu> - 2015-08-22 16:59 +0000
                Re: the language (and the role of Undefined Behavior therein) James Kuyper <jameskuyper@verizon.net> - 2015-08-22 23:30 -0400
                Re: the language (and the role of Undefined Behavior therein) glen herrmannsfeldt <gah@ugcs.caltech.edu> - 2015-08-24 03:36 +0000
                Re: the language (and the role of Undefined Behavior therein) James Kuyper <jameskuyper@verizon.net> - 2015-08-24 00:25 -0400
                Re: the language (and the role of Undefined Behavior therein) supercat@casperkitty.com - 2015-08-23 22:57 -0700
                Re: the language (and the role of Undefined Behavior therein) glen herrmannsfeldt <gah@ugcs.caltech.edu> - 2015-08-24 19:49 +0000
                Re: the language (and the role of Undefined Behavior therein) Tim Rentsch <txr@alumni.caltech.edu> - 2015-09-06 14:43 -0700
                Re: the language (and the role of Undefined Behavior therein) supercat@casperkitty.com - 2015-08-23 16:27 -0700
                Re: the language (and the role of Undefined Behavior therein) Richard Damon <Richard@Damon-Family.org> - 2015-08-23 21:15 -0400
                Re: the language (and the role of Undefined Behavior therein) supercat@casperkitty.com - 2015-08-23 20:18 -0700
                Re: the language (and the role of Undefined Behavior therein) raltbos@xs4all.nl (Richard Bos) - 2015-08-22 14:37 +0000
                Re: the language (and the role of Undefined Behavior therein) David Kleinecke <dkleinecke@gmail.com> - 2015-08-22 19:12 -0700
                Re: the language (and the role of Undefined Behavior therein) James Kuyper <jameskuyper@verizon.net> - 2015-08-22 23:38 -0400
                Re: the language (and the role of Undefined Behavior therein) David Kleinecke <dkleinecke@gmail.com> - 2015-08-23 20:01 -0700
                Re: the language (and the role of Undefined Behavior therein) Keith Thompson <kst-u@mib.org> - 2015-08-23 21:56 -0700
                Re: the language (and the role of Undefined Behavior therein) David Kleinecke <dkleinecke@gmail.com> - 2015-08-24 17:25 -0700
                Re: the language (and the role of Undefined Behavior therein) Keith Thompson <kst-u@mib.org> - 2015-08-24 18:21 -0700
                Re: the language (and the role of Undefined Behavior therein) James Kuyper <jameskuyper@verizon.net> - 2015-08-24 22:22 -0400
                Re: the language (and the role of Undefined Behavior therein) glen herrmannsfeldt <gah@ugcs.caltech.edu> - 2015-08-25 14:31 +0000
                Re: the language (and the role of Undefined Behavior therein) supercat@casperkitty.com - 2015-08-25 09:22 -0700
                Re: the language (and the role of Undefined Behavior therein) glen herrmannsfeldt <gah@ugcs.caltech.edu> - 2015-08-25 18:55 +0000
                Re: the language (and the role of Undefined Behavior therein) Keith Thompson <kst-u@mib.org> - 2015-08-25 12:33 -0700
                Re: the language (and the role of Undefined Behavior therein) supercat@casperkitty.com - 2015-08-25 16:23 -0700
                Re: the language (and the role of Undefined Behavior therein) James Kuyper <jameskuyper@verizon.net> - 2015-08-24 00:31 -0400
                Re: the language (and the role of Undefined Behavior therein) Keith Thompson <kst-u@mib.org> - 2015-08-24 10:32 -0700
                Re: the language (and the role of Undefined Behavior therein) Malcolm McLean <malcolm.mclean5@btinternet.com> - 2015-08-22 23:54 -0700
                Re: the language (and the role of Undefined Behavior therein) glen herrmannsfeldt <gah@ugcs.caltech.edu> - 2015-08-24 03:45 +0000
                Re: the language (and the role of Undefined Behavior therein) Tim Rentsch <txr@alumni.caltech.edu> - 2015-09-07 08:11 -0700
      Re: the language (and the role of Undefined Behavior therein) Richard Damon <Richard@Damon-Family.org> - 2015-08-23 18:46 -0400
        Re: the language (and the role of Undefined Behavior therein) supercat@casperkitty.com - 2015-08-23 19:04 -0700
          Re: the language (and the role of Undefined Behavior therein) Richard Damon <Richard@Damon-Family.org> - 2015-08-23 23:40 -0400
            Re: the language (and the role of Undefined Behavior therein) supercat@casperkitty.com - 2015-08-23 22:48 -0700
              Re: the language (and the role of Undefined Behavior therein) Malcolm McLean <malcolm.mclean5@btinternet.com> - 2015-08-24 00:38 -0700
  Re: the language (and the role of Undefined Behavior therein) James Kuyper <jameskuyper@verizon.net> - 2015-08-18 21:22 -0400
  Re: the language (and the role of Undefined Behavior therein) Ike Naar <ike@iceland.freeshell.org> - 2015-08-20 21:44 +0000
    Re: the language (and the role of Undefined Behavior therein) supercat@casperkitty.com - 2015-08-20 16:48 -0700
    Re: the language (and the role of Undefined Behavior therein) Philip Lantz <prl@canterey.us> - 2015-08-20 23:41 -0700

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