What is the current state of the long long (64 bit integer type)?  Is it part of the
ANSI spec for C or C++? Can we count on it in the future?  Is it safe to use the
Microsoft Visual C++ __int64 type?

Thanks in advance,
John Weeks
mrsysv@ix.netcom.com


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In article 2F6A@ix.netcom.com, John Weeks <mrsysv@ix.netcom.com> writes:
>What is the current state of the long long (64 bit integer type)?
>Is it part of the ANSI spec for C or C++?

It is not part of the current C Standard, and will not be in the forthcoming
C++ Standard.

>Can we count on it in the future?

Yes, but it's hard to say what the name of the type will be. Many
compilers currently provide a type called "long long". It's anyone's guess
whether that will become the official type name.

>Is it safe to use the Microsoft Visual C++ __int64 type?

Other than for Visual C++ programs? No. For Visual C++, you have to
ask Microsoft that question. It seems very unlikely to me that when
a longer integer type is added to the C and C++ standards that it will
be spelled "__int64".

---
Steve Clamage, stephen.clamage@eng.sun.com
---
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In article <31EB45C9.2F6A@ix.netcom.com> John Weeks
<mrsysv@ix.netcom.com> writes:

|> What is the current state of the long long (64 bit integer type)?

It doesn't exist, at least not in standard C++ or standard C.

|> Is it part of the
|> ANSI spec for C or C++?

No.

|> Can we count on it in the future?

You cannot even count on it today.

|> Is it safe to use the
|> Microsoft Visual C++ __int64 type?

Only if you are sure that you will never have to compile with another
compiler (including a future version of MS Visual C++, unless you have
an iron-clad contract, with penalities, in which they promise to support
it in the future).
--
James Kanze         Tel.: (+33) 88 14 49 00        email: kanze@gabi-soft.fr
GABI Software, Sarl., 8 rue des Francs-Bourgeois, F-67000 Strasbourg, France
Conseils,    tudes et r   alisations en logiciel orient    objet --
                -- A la recherche d'une activit    dans une region francophone



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