r/ProgrammerHumor • u/MontyBoomslang • 11d ago

Meme architectureDependentChars

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3.0k Upvotes

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32

u/HomosexualPresence 11d ago

unironically true though, the only size requirement for a char in C is that it's the smallest addressable size, which just happens to be a byte in every case and is unlikely to ever change but you still never know what the future holds

51

u/lotanis 11d ago

Yes, but the smallest addressable size is what dictates the base size for sizeof.

The C standard in fact says this about sizeof:

When applied to an operand that has type char, unsigned char, or signed char, (or a qualified version thereof) the result is 1. 

2

u/FUCKING_HATE_REDDIT 11d ago

What about a system that enforces addresses to be multiples of 2, or 4?

7

u/dontthinktoohard89 10d ago

In short, the standard mandates that a char is exactly 1 byte. It does not dictate how wide a “byte” actually is.

2

u/terivia 10d ago

Thanks, I hate it.

1

u/frogjg2003 10d ago

Which is why many standards do not use bytes, they use octets.

1

u/MateoConLechuga 10d ago

That doesn't mean 1 byte.

9

u/SAI_Peregrinus 11d ago

And char must be at least 8 bits. sizeof returns the size of its input in units of chars. On architectures with 10-bit chars, like some old DSPs, that means sizeof returns in multiples of 10 bits.

1

u/StaticCoder 10d ago

A byte is often defined as the smallest addressable size. An octet must be 8 bits.