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From: Eric Sosman <esosman@comcast-dot-net.invalid>
Newsgroups: comp.lang.java.programmer
Subject: Re: Java blunders
Date: Wed, 23 Jul 2014 08:55:14 -0400
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On 7/23/2014 8:32 AM, Martin Gregorie wrote:
> On Wed, 23 Jul 2014 04:23:44 -0700, Roedy Green wrote:
>
>> You would not make byte unsigned. It is far too late for that. You would
>> add a ubyte unsigned type.
>>
> Or introduce an 'unsigned' qualifier that would only be valid for numeric
> primitives. Its not a big change to the language because Java already
> uses qualifiers, e.g. static and final. I'd prefer this to introducing a
> new primitive type.

     ... except it *would* be a new primitive type, just spelled with two
words instead of one:

     - The `unsigned x' could represent values a plain `x' could not,
       and vice versa,

     - Arithmetic on identical `unsigned x' and `x' values could yield
       different results,

     - There would need to be new rules for mixed-mode arithmetic (for
       example, what is `-6 % (unsigned int) 3'?), or a prohibition
       against such expressions.

Different values, different behavior, different rules -> different
types.

-- 
esosman@comcast-dot-net.invalid