Re: 'SIZE attribute of a type

[milo!edm@uunet.uu.net (Ed Matthews)]

In article <EACHUS.91Dec6115421@Dr_No.mitre.org> eachus@Dr_No.mitre.org (Robert
 I. Eachus) writes:
>
>   Not quite.  AI-00536/08-BI-WA requires that Boolean'SIZE = 1.
>Objects of type Boolean may have a size of 8 (or 32, or whatever), but
>Boolean must have 'SIZE = 1 so that (packed) Boolean arrays are bit
>vectors.  Most vendors do fiercely pack bit vectors, but some still
>get Boolean'SIZE wrong.  (This is a very recent AI.) A quick test
>program:

Am I alone, or does anyone else think this is crazy?  

If I read the AI correctly, then Foo'Size is likely > 1 where Foo is an object
of type Boolean, but Boolean'Size is 1.  Why the discrepancy?  The results
are counter-intuitive. 

Boolean'Size = 1 seems to have nothing to do with packing bit vectors.

I fail to see the wisdom behind this AI.
-- 

Ed Matthews                                                edm@verdix.com
Verdix Corporation Headquarters                            (703) 378-7600
Chantilly, Virginia