Richard Rauch <rkr@olib.org> writes:

> > ne excuse to write a program that doesn't work on them. I personally
> > have an Alpha for over 5 years now (now also an amd64).
> 
> Yeah, I know.  But the Alpha has 64-bit {int} with its C compilers,
> doesn't it?  The sloppy assumption that an {int} is the same size
> as a pointer is probably the biggest problem I've seen.  Relatively
> little code is bothered by 64-bit pointers, per se, or by the
> fact that the CPU can directly manipulate 64-bit values.

No, Alpha has the same basic types as amd64; the "LP64" model, where
"long" and pointers are 64 bits, but "int" is 32 bits. That people are
noticing LP64 problems on amd64 really says more about the dwindling
population of Alpha users and their relative lack of influence on
popular open-source software.

        - Nathan