Re: [RFC TREE-WIDE] gcc: stop using 'int' to represent sets of qualifiers
Project / Subsystem
gcc / gcc
Date
2026-06-30
Proposer
Joseph Myers <josmyers@redhat.com>
Source type
public_inbox
Consensus
Proposed
Sentiment
—/10
Technical tradeoffs
- • Moving from `int` bitfields to a more robust representation for qualifier sets improves accuracy but complicates internal compiler logic and may require significant code changes.
- • Handling `TYPE_QUAL_ATOMIC` explicitly ensures correctness for atomic operations but requires careful integration with existing qualifier logic.
- • Decoupling bug fixes from refactoring ensures the refactoring itself can proceed more smoothly, but may delay the resolution of existing issues.
All attributes
- project
- gcc
- subsystem
- gcc
- patch_id
- —
- discussion_id
- 9a0c6c9e-fe13-64cf-a444-5b5f4130f58c@redhat.com
- source_type
- public_inbox
- title
- Re: [RFC TREE-WIDE] gcc: stop using 'int' to represent sets of qualifiers
- headline
- gcc: stop using 'int' to represent sets of qualifiers
- tldr
- Discussion on appropriately representing qualifier sets in GCC, moving away from 'int' to handle complexities like TYPE_QUAL_ATOMIC and address spaces.
- proposer
- Joseph Myers <josmyers@redhat.com>
- consensus
- Proposed
- outcome
- proposed
- sentiment_score
- —
- technical_tradeoffs
-
- • Moving from `int` bitfields to a more robust representation for qualifier sets improves accuracy but complicates internal compiler logic and may require significant code changes.
- • Handling `TYPE_QUAL_ATOMIC` explicitly ensures correctness for atomic operations but requires careful integration with existing qualifier logic.
- • Decoupling bug fixes from refactoring ensures the refactoring itself can proceed more smoothly, but may delay the resolution of existing issues.
- series_id
- —
- series_role
- standalone
- series_parts
- []
- tags
-
- • gcc
- • c
- • type-system
- • compiler-internals
- • refactoring
- bugzilla_url
- —
- date
- 2026-06-30T00:00:00.000Z
Re: [RFC TREE-WIDE] gcc: stop using 'int' to represent sets of qualifiers
In a continuation of a discussion about refactoring GCC’s internal representation of qualifier sets, Joseph Myers addresses Arsen Arsenović’s suggestion to rename includes_p to usable_as_p. Myers agrees that qualifier sets, particularly TYPE_QUAL_ATOMIC, involve complexities beyond simple inclusion, especially concerning address spaces. He emphasizes that while the refactoring itself is ongoing, any bugs found during this process should be addressed separately to maintain clarity.