🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <2926@sdcsvax.UCSD.EDU> jww@sdcsvax.UCSD.EDU (Joel West) writes:
>> Integers on the 680x0 family are 16 (sixteen) bits wide, longs are 32bits.

>Actually, integers on the MC68020 and later are 32 bits wide, not 16
>bits wide.  The only thing that keeps the 68000 and 68010 from being
>a true 32-bit machine is the lack of the multiply/divide in 32 bit size.
>
>A convincing case can be made for 16 bit integers (speed, Pascal compat...),

Certainly speed!  For non-68020's, interesting longword instructions
generally take longer (and are sometimes larger) than the equivalent word
instructions.  What bothers me about C is not that, say, an int is 32
bits and a short is 16 bits since I can declare variables either way I
want, but that ALL EXPRESSIONS AND STACK PARAMETERS ARE COERCED TO BE
INTS!  Thus, for a 32-bit int compiler any multiply/divide MUST use a
subroutine (including array subscripting operations), every simple
int(char)- taking subroutine takes longer to call, etc...  I am also
bothered about the coersion of float to double, but since I never use
floating point I'm not bothered too much.

According to K&R, an int is supposed to be the most natural sized operation
for any given machine, which, face it, for a 68000/68010 is 16 bits.  
Personally I am fond of compilers that have switches that allow you to 
generate code either way suits your needs (and/or fancy).

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