Re: Making --with-wide-int the default

[Ulrich Mueller]

>>>>> On Mon, 16 Nov 2015, Paul Eggert wrote:

> The GNU Coding Standards give advice about whether 32-bit Emacs
> should default to mishandling 0.6 GB files. They say, "Avoid
> arbitrary limits on the length or number of _any_ data structure"
> (emphasis in original).

But this is about avoiding static allocation. The complete sentence
reads: "Avoid arbitrary limits on the length or number of /any/ data
structure, including file names, lines, files, and symbols, by
allocating all data structures dynamically."

> Emacs buffers are a data structure, and --with-wide-int removes a
> significant and arbitrary limit on their length, so the path forward
> is reasonably clear here.

A limit imposed by the machine's word size doesn't seem so arbitrary,
if it can only be surpassed with a significant performance penalty.

Ulrich