> 
> In the end I would have to claim that if bit-field operations generate
> worse code than the equivalent bit-fiddling idioms then the compiler is
> at fault.  (Comparing with hand optimised machine code is obviously
> apples to oranges.)
> 
Also notice that bitfield instructions (extv) is normally slower than
corresponding shift/and (ashl/bicl) insn's on all but very old VAXen...

-- Ragge