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Java can't even bother adding unsigned integers or integer types smaller than 32-bits. How long have we been waiting for non-boxed primitives and runtime generi

Java can't even bother adding unsigned integers or integer types smaller than 32-bits. How long have we been waiting for non-boxed primitives and runtime generics (Valhalla)? C# has had all (except generics) since day one. New "char" types aren't happening anywhere in the near future, unfortunately.

marginalia_nu 3y ago
> integer types smaller than 32-bits ... other than short and byte, what are you missing? nibble? https://docs.oracle.com/javase/tutorial/java/nutsandbolts/datatypes.html https://docs.oracle.com/javase/tutorial/java/nutsandbolts/da...
Delk 3y ago
> or integer types smaller than 32-bits Java's got byte (8 bits) and short (16 bits)? (Still signed, though, of course.) Unless those are actually padded to 32 bits in the VM or something.
- efaref 3y ago
  > Unless those are actually padded to 32 bits in the VM or something. They are.
  - o11c 3y ago
    To be fair, they're padded in a lot of machine code contexts as well, even if you don't explicitly write `int_fast16_t`. And since Java doesn't expose pointer guts, struct padding is purely a runtime optimization concern, not a language concern.
    - nwellnhof 3y ago
      Don't you mean `int_least16_t`?
      - o11c 3y ago
        No, the `least` typedefs are irrelevant aliases for the exact type these days (except supposedly some 32-bit-only DSPs exist though. But 9-bit computing has been obsolete for longer than most of us have been alive, despite talking about it). The `fast` typedefs are effectively programmer-opted-in to promotion to register size or something. But compiler optimizations often do the same thing on a per-operation level (signed overflow is UB, unsigned overflow masking can be deferred for addition/subtraction/multiplication and bitwise ops (though some can change the mask)).
  - twic 3y ago
    They're extended when they're locals or temporaries, but they behave like real 8- and 16- bit values in fields and array elements.
  - kaba0 3y ago
    In interpreted mode. They can be optimized by the JIT compiler differently though.
patrickthebold 3y ago
`char` is both unsigned and less than 32-bits.
kaba0 3y ago
It’s quite easy to go down an already discovered path and learn from its mistakes. Also, Valhalla is said to be a 7 PhD combined-difficulty feat to pull off in a backwards compatible way, so it takes time. Java actually cares about that, instead of repeatedly pulling the plug on the whole platform like Microsoft likes to do.

marginalia_nu 3y ago

> integer types smaller than 32-bits ... other than short and byte, what are you missing? nibble? https://docs.oracle.com/javase/tutorial/java/nutsandbolts/datatypes.html https://docs.oracle.com/javase/tutorial/java/nutsandbolts/da...

Delk 3y ago

> or integer types smaller than 32-bits Java's got byte (8 bits) and short (16 bits)? (Still signed, though, of course.) Unless those are actually padded to 32 bits in the VM or something.

efaref 3y ago
> Unless those are actually padded to 32 bits in the VM or something. They are.
- o11c 3y ago
  To be fair, they're padded in a lot of machine code contexts as well, even if you don't explicitly write `int_fast16_t`. And since Java doesn't expose pointer guts, struct padding is purely a runtime optimization concern, not a language concern.
  - nwellnhof 3y ago
    Don't you mean `int_least16_t`?
    - o11c 3y ago
      No, the `least` typedefs are irrelevant aliases for the exact type these days (except supposedly some 32-bit-only DSPs exist though. But 9-bit computing has been obsolete for longer than most of us have been alive, despite talking about it). The `fast` typedefs are effectively programmer-opted-in to promotion to register size or something. But compiler optimizations often do the same thing on a per-operation level (signed overflow is UB, unsigned overflow masking can be deferred for addition/subtraction/multiplication and bitwise ops (though some can change the mask)).
- twic 3y ago
  They're extended when they're locals or temporaries, but they behave like real 8- and 16- bit values in fields and array elements.
- kaba0 3y ago
  In interpreted mode. They can be optimized by the JIT compiler differently though.

patrickthebold 3y ago

`char` is both unsigned and less than 32-bits.

kaba0 3y ago

It’s quite easy to go down an already discovered path and learn from its mistakes. Also, Valhalla is said to be a 7 PhD combined-difficulty feat to pull off in a backwards compatible way, so it takes time. Java actually cares about that, instead of repeatedly pulling the plug on the whole platform like Microsoft likes to do.