Re: New VSI post on Youtube

On 8/19/24 20:07, Arne Vajhøj wrote:

On 8/19/2024 2:56 PM, chrisq wrote:

On 8/15/24 13:34, Simon Clubley wrote:

To extend this, I also know the difference between signed and unsigned
variables and I have a default-unsigned approach unless I absolutely
_need_ a signed variable.
>
Unfortunately, a lot of the material out there doesn't seem to understand
that designing a program is about modelling a real-world problem and that
it isn't OK to just use a signed integer to store an unsigned value.

>
  Absolutely, must have come from an assembler background, where the use of signed branches and arithmetic, can get you into serious trouble.
The standard C library, of course, tends to use signed variables for
everything, a gross error that has never been fixed...

 At least the C people can define an unsigned variable.
 Java does not have unsigned data types at all. OK - higher level
language and all that. But still a PITA.
 Arne
 

I guess another complication is that some functions return
-1, which implies a signed variable. To fix all that would require a
complete rewrite of the library and probably most of the os and
applications as well, so it will never happen. Just have to write
unsigned equivalents, or slip functions with casts, but it's a lot
of additional work.
Chris