The Linux kernel, and probably some user-space applications and libraries
as well, depend on GCC guaranteeing (a variant of) the following:
"any access to a naturally aligned scalar object in memory
that is not a bit-field will be performed by a single machine
instruction whenever possible"
and it seems the current compiler actually does work like this.
I propose we add this text to the GCC manual (where?), so at least they
are right if/when they blame us for breaking that promise :-)
Comments? Flames?