Re: [dax@gurulabs.com: PATCH: `__norestrict' type qualifier (fwd)]

[patl AT cag.lcs.mit dot edu (Patrick J. LoPresti)]

As author of that patch, here is my $0.02.

First, as Richard Henderson pointed out when we discussed this before,
`__typealias' is a better name than `__norestrict'.  An informal
description of the behavior meshes nicely with Mark Mitchell's
informal description of the alias analysis rules; namely, that this
type qualifier allows access to the same memory through different
types of pointer.

Jamie's precise specification, which amounts to saying that
`__typealias' is shorthand for "the union hack", should also be given
in the documentation and used to resolve any arguments about the
behavior of the extension.  Jamie's spec could also be used to propose
this type qualifier to the standards bodies.

I am willing to do whatever work the GCC maintainers want to make my
patch acceptable to them, assuming they are amenable to the idea at
all.  Are they?

 - Pat