I remember a discussion on the Linux Kernel Mailing list regarding memory corruption on the ia64 architecture[1] because of a strange way GCC handled bit-fields

I remember a discussion on the Linux Kernel Mailing list regarding memory corruption on the ia64 architecture[1] because of a strange way GCC handled bit-fields. While oftentimes packed bit-fields are a decent way of representing/serializing data for memory-constrained devices or even network applications, it's always a good reminder how they can wreak havoc for scenarios where portability is important. 1: https://lwn.net/Articles/478657/ https://lwn.net/Articles/478657/