[RFH] A simple way to figure out the number of bits used by a long double

[Paolo Carlini]

On 02/26/2010 07:07 PM, Daniel Jacobowitz wrote:
> Despite all that exchange, I don't think you ever answered Andreas's
> question - at least not in a way that I could understand.  A size of
> what?  The size of the *type* on x86 is 16; the size of the *data
> bits* is 10.  But what cares about the size of the data bits rather
> than e.g. the size of the mantissa?
>   
I'm tired. Anyway, I meant of course the size of the *data bits*, using
your terminology. For *some* formats, like x87, where there are no
holes, no padding bits in the middle of the representation, that is all
I would need. In the meanwhile, Andreas made me notice that
unfortunately this is not the general case. Thanks again about that.

Paolo.