Yeah, it's an absolutely ridiculous combination. On the other hand ... unsigned char c; for (c=0; c<=255; ++c) { printf(" %d", c); } printf("\n");

Yeah, it's an absolutely ridiculous combination. On the other hand ... unsigned char c; for (c=0; c<=255; ++c) { printf(" %d", c); } printf("\n"); exhibits the exact same problem, which all C's integral types have. So unless you embrace Bignums Everywhere (or at least automatic promotion to bignum and therefore Potential Bignums Everywhere Except Where The Compiler Can Prove Otherwise) it's hard to avoid.