64 bit architectures and C/C++

[David Howard]

In article <6659 at gssc.UUCP> timr at gssc.UUCP (Tim Roberts) writes:
>...
>What if your 64 bit architecture doesn't have any instructions to deal with
>16 bit units?  You certainly aren't going to include something as a fundamental
>type when your architecture can't easily deal with it, are you?  What if, going
>further, you can't manipulate 32 bit objects either?  On such a machine, you
>would probably create short=int=long=64 bits.

C compilers for the 80x86 abortchitecture have long=32 and pointer=32,
neither of which is easily supported or natural on that chip. 

The question as to whether C types should map to the architecture or
to what is easiest on the programmer is an interesting one.