Re: Size of bool unspecified: why?

From	"JBarleycorn" <jbnh2o@newsnet.org>
Newsgroups	comp.lang.c++
Subject	Re: Size of bool unspecified: why?
Date	2011-07-21 18:52 -0500
Organization	A noiseless patient Spider
Message-ID	<j0ae4o$oce$1@dont-email.me> (permalink)
References	(4 earlier) <98ou27FaegU3@mid.individual.net> <j07s3r$hk6$1@dont-email.me> <98pi8pFroiU1@mid.individual.net> <j089to$j9f$1@dont-email.me> <8e84b804-86f8-40e9-896f-27599e108ac1@e18g2000vbx.googlegroups.com>

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James Kanze wrote:
> On Jul 21, 5:28 am, "JBarleycorn" <jbn...@newsnet.org> wrote:
>> "Ian Collins" <ian-n...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
>> news:98pi8pFroiU1@mid.individual.net...
>>> On 07/21/11 12:32 PM, JBarleycorn wrote:
>>>> "Ian Collins"<ian-n...@hotmail.com>  wrote in message
>>>> news:98ou27FaegU3@mid.individual.net...
>>>>> On 07/21/11 08:46 AM, JBarleycorn wrote:
>>>>>> James Kanze wrote:
>>>>>>> On Jul 16, 6:02 pm, BGB<cr88...@hotmail.com>   wrote:
>>>>>>>> On 7/16/2011 3:33 AM, MikeP wrote:
>
>>>>>>>>> Why is the size of 'bool' unspecified? That makes bools pretty
>>>>>>>>> useless as struct members. If one foregoes bools in structs,
>>>>>>>>> why not then specify that bools should be the size of int and
>>>>>>>>> thereby likely to be fast to pass to and from functions? (Is
>>>>>>>>> it less efficient to pass less-than-word-size integers
>>>>>>>>> because then they have to be sign-extended or zero-extended,
>>>>>>>>> or any other reason?)
>
>>>>>>> First, is size of bool unspecified?  Or just implementation
>>>>>>> defined?
>
>>>>>> Isn't that the same thing?
>
>>>>> Not in terms of the standard.  Implementation defined
>>>>> things have to be defined by the implementation.
>
>>>> Why is "unspecified" necessary? Does anyone think that not
>>>> specifying the size of a bool is a good thing?
>
>>>> How can bools be used in structs if every implementation
>>>> can define it differently?
>
>>> The same way ints can be used in structs when every implementation
>>> can define them differently.
>
>> You can used fixed-width integers but there is no complementary bool
>> type.
>
> The only fixed-width types I know are optional, and aren't
> supported by implementations which don't have immediate hardware
> support for them.

That's OK. I've been using fixed-width integral types long before there 
were such syntactic sugaring things like those defined in stdint.h.

> Their use is fairly limited, and I can't
> think of a case where I'd use them in a struct.  (They are
> convenient for certain operations, however, when their
> restricted portability isn't an issue.)

You view of the concept seems to be exactly the opposite of mine. Your 
view seems more appropriate, to me, for a 4GL rather than for C/C++.

>
>> bool is unusable in structs in many instances then.
>
> You keep saying this, but it flies in the face of actual facts.

It depends on how you program. When I say that, I mean for the way I 
program and use the language.

> People use bool in structs all the time, with no problems.

If I had to be continually faced with having to think about what the 
effect of integral type size changes would be in C++, I would not use the 
language. Though maybe I wouldn't program at all then!

>
>> Serialization is not a panacea, it's tedium.
>
> You've mentionned serialization several times, but you've yet to
> explain how the fact that the size of bool being implementation
> defined affects it in any way.  The internal representation
> doesn't generally affect serialization.  And it varies, not just
> for bool, but for int.

int and bool are in the same boat in that respect. The *only* time I use 
int, or its unsigned counterpart, is when I consciously *want* a type to 
expand across 32-bit and 64-bit platforms, and yes, I test in a header if 
my assumptions are valid on a given platform. I view fixed-width integral 
types, even if I have to synthesize them as I did before there was 
stdint.h, as the "normal" ones and the "expanding" types as the special 
ones. Try it sometime and you'll probably never go back to the other way 
of thinking.

Thread

Size of bool unspecified: why? "MikeP" <mp011011@some.org> - 2011-07-16 05:33 -0500
  Re: Size of bool unspecified: why? BGB <cr88192@hotmail.com> - 2011-07-16 10:02 -0700
    Re: Size of bool unspecified: why? James Kanze <james.kanze@gmail.com> - 2011-07-20 13:05 -0700
      Re: Size of bool unspecified: why? "JBarleycorn" <jbnh2o@newsnet.org> - 2011-07-20 15:46 -0500
        Re: Size of bool unspecified: why? Ian Collins <ian-news@hotmail.com> - 2011-07-21 09:01 +1200
          Re: Size of bool unspecified: why? "JBarleycorn" <jbnh2o@newsnet.org> - 2011-07-20 19:32 -0500
            Re: Size of bool unspecified: why? Ian Collins <ian-news@hotmail.com> - 2011-07-21 14:46 +1200
              Re: Size of bool unspecified: why? "JBarleycorn" <jbnh2o@newsnet.org> - 2011-07-20 23:28 -0500
                Re: Size of bool unspecified: why? Ian Collins <ian-news@hotmail.com> - 2011-07-21 16:43 +1200
                Re: Size of bool unspecified: why? "JBarleycorn" <jbnh2o@newsnet.org> - 2011-07-21 02:56 -0500
                Re: Size of bool unspecified: why? Ian Collins <ian-news@hotmail.com> - 2011-07-21 20:19 +1200
                Re: Size of bool unspecified: why? "JBarleycorn" <jbnh2o@newsnet.org> - 2011-07-21 18:29 -0500
                Re: Size of bool unspecified: why? Ian Collins <ian-news@hotmail.com> - 2011-07-22 11:40 +1200
                Re: Size of bool unspecified: why? "JBarleycorn" <jbnh2o@newsnet.org> - 2011-07-21 22:33 -0500
                Re: Size of bool unspecified: why? Ian Collins <ian-news@hotmail.com> - 2011-07-22 15:46 +1200
                Re: Size of bool unspecified: why? "JBarleycorn" <jbnh2o@newsnet.org> - 2011-07-21 23:07 -0500
                Re: Size of bool unspecified: why? Ian Collins <ian-news@hotmail.com> - 2011-07-22 16:12 +1200
                Re: Size of bool unspecified: why? Ian Collins <ian-news@hotmail.com> - 2011-07-31 18:45 +1200
                Re: Size of bool unspecified: why? Nick Keighley <nick_keighley_nospam@hotmail.com> - 2011-07-22 00:12 -0700
                Re: Size of bool unspecified: why? James Kanze <james.kanze@gmail.com> - 2011-07-22 11:10 -0700
                Re: Size of bool unspecified: why? "JBarleycorn" <jbnh2o@newsnet.org> - 2011-07-22 16:52 -0500
                Re: Size of bool unspecified: why? Ian Collins <ian-news@hotmail.com> - 2011-07-23 09:55 +1200
                Re: Size of bool unspecified: why? James Kanze <james.kanze@gmail.com> - 2011-07-22 11:01 -0700
                Re: Size of bool unspecified: why? "JBarleycorn" <jbnh2o@newsnet.org> - 2011-07-22 17:17 -0500
                Re: Size of bool unspecified: why? Ian Collins <ian-news@hotmail.com> - 2011-07-23 10:46 +1200
                Re: Size of bool unspecified: why? James Kanze <james.kanze@gmail.com> - 2011-07-24 03:48 -0700
                Re: Size of bool unspecified: why? Robert Wessel <robertwessel2@yahoo.com> - 2011-07-24 12:40 -0500
                Re: Size of bool unspecified: why? James Kanze <james.kanze@gmail.com> - 2011-07-30 11:22 -0700
                Re: Size of bool unspecified: why? "Alf P. Steinbach" <alf.p.steinbach:usenet@gmail.com> - 2011-07-31 02:33 +0200
                Re: Size of bool unspecified: why? James Kanze <james.kanze@gmail.com> - 2011-07-30 11:34 -0700
                Re: Size of bool unspecified: why? "Alf P. Steinbach" <alf.p.steinbach:usenet@gmail.com> - 2011-07-25 04:46 +0200
                Re: Size of bool unspecified: why? James Kanze <james.kanze@gmail.com> - 2011-07-21 07:23 -0700
                Re: Size of bool unspecified: why? "JBarleycorn" <jbnh2o@newsnet.org> - 2011-07-21 18:52 -0500
                Re: Size of bool unspecified: why? James Kanze <james.kanze@gmail.com> - 2011-07-22 11:24 -0700
                Re: Size of bool unspecified: why? "JBarleycorn" <jbnh2o@newsnet.org> - 2011-07-22 17:22 -0500
                Re: Size of bool unspecified: why? Ian Collins <ian-news@hotmail.com> - 2011-07-23 10:51 +1200
                Re: Size of bool unspecified: why? Nick Keighley <nick_keighley_nospam@hotmail.com> - 2011-07-22 00:17 -0700
                Re: Size of bool unspecified: why? Robert Wessel <robertwessel2@yahoo.com> - 2011-07-22 04:26 -0500
            Re: Size of bool unspecified: why? James Kanze <james.kanze@gmail.com> - 2011-07-21 02:09 -0700
              Re: Size of bool unspecified: why? "JBarleycorn" <jbnh2o@newsnet.org> - 2011-07-21 19:11 -0500
                Re: Size of bool unspecified: why? James Kanze <james.kanze@gmail.com> - 2011-07-22 11:58 -0700
                Re: Size of bool unspecified: why? "JBarleycorn" <jbnh2o@newsnet.org> - 2011-07-22 17:48 -0500
            Re: Size of bool unspecified: why? Nick Keighley <nick_keighley_nospam@hotmail.com> - 2011-07-21 08:41 -0700
              Re: Size of bool unspecified: why? "JBarleycorn" <jbnh2o@newsnet.org> - 2011-07-21 19:14 -0500
                Re: Size of bool unspecified: why? James Kanze <james.kanze@gmail.com> - 2011-07-22 12:01 -0700
                Re: Size of bool unspecified: why? "JBarleycorn" <jbnh2o@newsnet.org> - 2011-07-22 17:51 -0500
        Re: Size of bool unspecified: why? Noah Roberts <dont@email.me> - 2011-07-20 16:57 -0700
          Re: Size of bool unspecified: why? James Kanze <james.kanze@gmail.com> - 2011-07-21 07:29 -0700
            Re: Size of bool unspecified: why? "JBarleycorn" <jbnh2o@newsnet.org> - 2011-07-21 19:24 -0500
              Re: Size of bool unspecified: why? Ian Collins <ian-news@hotmail.com> - 2011-07-22 12:33 +1200
                Re: Size of bool unspecified: why? "JBarleycorn" <jbnh2o@newsnet.org> - 2011-07-21 22:42 -0500
        Re: Size of bool unspecified: why? James Kanze <james.kanze@gmail.com> - 2011-07-21 01:59 -0700
          Re: Size of bool unspecified: why? "JBarleycorn" <jbnh2o@newsnet.org> - 2011-07-21 19:42 -0500
            Re: Size of bool unspecified: why? James Kanze <james.kanze@gmail.com> - 2011-07-22 12:20 -0700
              Re: Size of bool unspecified: why? "JBarleycorn" <jbnh2o@newsnet.org> - 2011-07-22 18:21 -0500
  Re: Size of bool unspecified: why? Robert Wessel <robertwessel2@yahoo.com> - 2011-07-16 22:23 -0500
    Re: Size of bool unspecified: why? "MikeP" <mp011011@some.org> - 2011-07-17 00:07 -0500
      Re: Size of bool unspecified: why? Ian Collins <ian-news@hotmail.com> - 2011-07-17 17:15 +1200
        Re: Size of bool unspecified: why? "MikeP" <mp011011@some.org> - 2011-07-17 00:24 -0500
      Re: Size of bool unspecified: why? Robert Wessel <robertwessel2@yahoo.com> - 2011-07-17 02:02 -0500
        Re: Size of bool unspecified: why? "MikeP" <mp011011@some.org> - 2011-07-17 03:02 -0500
          Re: Size of bool unspecified: why? Robert Wessel <robertwessel2@yahoo.com> - 2011-07-17 03:23 -0500
            Re: Size of bool unspecified: why? "MikeP" <mp011011@some.org> - 2011-07-17 05:36 -0500
              Re: Size of bool unspecified: why? "James" <no@spam.invalid> - 2011-07-17 16:24 -0700
                Re: Size of bool unspecified: why? "MikeP" <mp011011@some.org> - 2011-07-18 06:49 -0500
                Re: Size of bool unspecified: why? "James" <no@spam.invalid> - 2011-07-18 16:46 -0700
                Re: Size of bool unspecified: why? Ian Collins <ian-news@hotmail.com> - 2011-07-19 11:59 +1200
                Re: Size of bool unspecified: why? "MikeP" <mp011011@some.org> - 2011-07-19 22:18 -0500
        Re: Size of bool unspecified: why? "MikeP" <mp011011@some.org> - 2011-07-17 03:04 -0500
      Re: Size of bool unspecified: why? Nick Keighley <nick_keighley_nospam@hotmail.com> - 2011-07-22 00:32 -0700
      Re: Size of bool unspecified: why? Nick Keighley <nick_keighley_nospam@hotmail.com> - 2011-07-22 00:41 -0700
  Re: Size of bool unspecified: why? Juha Nieminen <nospam@thanks.invalid> - 2011-07-17 13:50 +0000
    Re: Size of bool unspecified: why? "MikeP" <mp011011@some.org> - 2011-07-18 06:50 -0500
      Re: Size of bool unspecified: why? James Kanze <james.kanze@gmail.com> - 2011-07-20 13:06 -0700
    Re: Size of bool unspecified: why? Pawel Dziepak <pdziepak@quarnos.org> - 2011-07-21 12:59 +0000
      Re: Size of bool unspecified: why? James Kanze <james.kanze@gmail.com> - 2011-07-21 07:11 -0700
        Re: Size of bool unspecified: why? "JBarleycorn" <jbnh2o@newsnet.org> - 2011-07-21 19:21 -0500
          Re: Size of bool unspecified: why? James Kanze <james.kanze@gmail.com> - 2011-07-22 12:28 -0700

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