Re: [boost] Re: Re: Adding Loki to Boost (reprise)

From: David Abrahams (david.abrahams_at_[hidden])
Date: 2002-04-16 16:54:29

----- Original Message -----
From: "Noah Stein" <noah_at_[hidden]>

> There's no deep issue or defect I was trying to uncover or understand.
> Initially I just wanted to point out how, although "signed int" means
"int",
> "signed char" doesn't mean char even if the compiler chooses to
represent
> characters as a signed quantity.  It seemed inconsistent, so it was a
nice
> addition to the discussion at hand.
>
> While I was looking for the reference to that in the standard, I came
across
> the second topic about chars and unsigned chars.  I thought it strange
that
> the standard should specifically mention that objects can be copied as
an
> array of chars and unsigned chars, but didn't mention that they could
also
> be unsigned chars.  It seemed weird since 3.9.1p1 also states that "A
char,
> a signed char, and an unsigned char occupy the same amount of storage
and
> have the same alignment requirements."  I just wonder why the standard
takes
> the effort to state "char and unsigned char" in 3.9p2.  Does anyone
know if
> signed chars were specifically excluded for a reaoson from 3.9p2, and
if so,
> why?

I've forwarded your posting to the CWG chair as a potential DR, so we'll
find out soon enough. In the meantime, this thread is OT, so if you
don't mind let's stick to boost-related issues.

Thanks,

Dave Abrahams
Boost Moderator