[Coldstuff] A couple questions, possibly related.

Jonathan Ross coldstuff@cold.org
Tue, 12 Feb 2002 21:16:49 -0000


  Invalid object numbers?  Well if root is 1 and sys is 2 then why not use
0;  personally I've never seen any use of #0 but I may not know the
intricacies of Genesis that well.  So what value is there in having negative
values?  Also, as I've stated I don't know the intricacies all that well,
but what would happen if you removed the overflow checks from the objnum
generation function and just let it coast back on up (after removing invalid
object checking).

  Maybe the real purpose of using int instead of unsigned int is the old
saying by Bill Gates, "Who could ever need more than 640k?"

--Jonathan Ross

PS:  I notice I tend to get my mail back from the server after a very long
time, sometimes even after I've already gotten a response from someone.  Are
my posts very slow or is getting my own posts very slow?  It's currently
(unsigned int)(9:16 EST February 12th 2002).

----- Original Message -----
From: "Bruce Mitchener" <bruce@cubik.org>
To: <coldstuff@cold.org>
Sent: Tuesday, February 12, 2002 4:17 PM
Subject: Re: [Coldstuff] A couple questions, possibly related.


> Jonathan Ross wrote:
>
> >    Is there any particular reason a signed 32-bit integer was used
rather
> > than an unsigned 32-bit integer?
>
>
> Negative object IDs exist and are used for invalid object numbers.  Ease
>   of programming possibly.  Also, if a MUD needs more than 2 billion
> objects over time (TEC isn't anywhere close), then it can be dealt with
> as that time approaches, or move to a 64 bit box and modify Cold to
> allow objnums to be 64 bit values.
>
> Other possibilities exist as well, but to date, no one has run into that
> limit after years of use.
>
>   - Bruce
>
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