Integral data type/Talk

(this was originally under Quadword)

I think this probably isn't adequate. I mean, I know what "unit," "computer memory or storage," "four," and "word" all mean, but I still don't know what "quadword" means (at least, I don't think I do). Isn't that interesting? --LS

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That is because no one has explained how many bytes are in a word. In IBM/370 Assembler a word has 32 bits or 4 bytes. A doubleword is the length of 2 words, thus 64 bits or 8 bytes. I was entering something about this under word with a one word instruction as an example and found someone disagreeing with me---I give up. Rose Parks

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problem is that different machines have different word sizes

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OK, different problem: if you use "word" without further ado, many people reading the article won't know that you mean something different from what is ordinarily meant by "word."

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I found this link on a page with byte...what was I to think? RoseParks

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The article asserts that now word usually means 16 bits but I think it still means "most efficient unit size on some particular architecture" or "architecture defined sequential packing of bits". What do others think? --drj

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I think the author is showing his/her IBM PC x86 bias by saying a word is 16 bits. I have been around enough architectures that I consciously don't decide how big a word is, until someone tells me.

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Somewhen in the past, drj was completely right, word meant the machine's "native" bit width, i.e. registers would always contain a word. But I think the trend to call 16 bits a word always, even outside of the now quite rare 16-bit beasts, is definitely there. This may be due to the wintel juggernaut, but it may also be due to there being a need to call 16 bits (and 32 bits, etc.) something. Word is certainly not the best choice, but most people that are not chip designers seem to find it adequate.

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Despite the dominance of Wintel I still couldn't find enough evidence to support the case for word usually meaning 16 bits (for example count "16 bit word" versus "32 bit word" on altavista). So I deleted that claim from the head page. I can believe that amongst programmers that have only been exposed to wintel boxes word usually means 16 bits, but that not what was claimed. I don't really want to fight a battle over this but I would like some evidence. --drj