Re: Reconciliation of libsnprintfv vs. autogen

[Larry Jones]

Bruce Korb writes:
> 
> Larry Jones wrote:
> > 
> > If you have a pointer to
> > char but need to treat the data it points to as unsigned char, you have
> > to cast the pointer and dereference it to get the correct value on ones
> > complement systems -- dereferencing and then casting doesn't work
> > because -0 gets converted to +0.
> 
> OK.  In this case, we know we're not playing with NUL bytes 'cuz they
> terminate strings.  Where are these ones complement machines anyway?
> I've not bumped into any for decades.  In other words, I'm not sure
> I want to care about them anymore.  I don't work in a museum.  :)

The problem isn't <NUL>, it's <DEL> -- all bits set is -0 on a ones
complement machine, which compares equal to zero and thus makes <DEL>
turn into <NUL> and terminate the string where you don't want it to.  I
believe that there are current DSPs that use ones complement.

-Larry Jones

I don't want to be THIS good! -- Calvin