[Bug libstdc++/8670] Alignment problem in std::basic_string

["pcarlini at suse dot de" <gcc-bugzilla at gcc dot gnu dot org>]

------- Additional Comments From pcarlini at suse dot de  2005-01-24 09:45 -------
> I have read the discussion on 17744 and 19163.  Nothing there suggests
> that there is any reason to prefer using an __attribute__ over using
> the portable, stable, apparently already-working union approach, where
> it serves.  The union approach, contrariwise, is manifestly better 
> anywhere the __attribute__ feature is broken, which it is said still 
> to be, proposed patches notwithstanding.

The feature its broken and the proposed patches don't fix it. Plenty of
discussions on gcc-patches and elsewhere, no doubts about this. Also,
there is an agreement about the maintainers that from now one, really we
should concentrate our efforts in preparing a new implementation of
basic_string: these alignment problems are not new, always been there.

> Why should library fixes (specifically, 19495) wait unnecessarily on 
> fixes for compiler extensions -- more particularly, extensions unlikely 
> to be fixed in the older releases whose libraries we still maintain?  
> What am I missing?

I'm still trying to figure out a simple, non-invasive, clean, way to
implement your suggestions. We don't want loads of casts, or unions,
additional instantiations (requiring loads of additional includes) and
failing tests elsewhere (ext/array_allocator needs tweaks), uglyness,
in a word. I'm still trying to figure whether we can achieve that within
the current implementation and without subtracting too much energy to
other projects (among which the new implementation itself): please be
patient, thanks.

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http://gcc.gnu.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=8670