As far as I can tell, a programmer can't specify the number of fractional bits. The type "unsigned short _Fract", for example, has a number of fraction bits det

As far as I can tell, a programmer can't specify the number of fractional bits. The type "unsigned short _Fract", for example, has a number of fraction bits determined by the implementation within limits imposed by the standard. There's no way to ask for a type with, for example, 12 integral bits and 4 fractional bits. Do hardware constraints make, for example, an 8.8 bit format easier to handle than a 12.4 format? Compare Ada's fixed-point types, which let you specify the range and delta: type Fixed is delta 0.0625 range 0.0 .. 4095.9375;