[pizlonator]

The problem is incorrectly assuming that the spec is meaningful in some kind of rigorous way.

It’s not. All that matters is what C compilers actually do and what real C programs expect.

This is a good thing. It creates a culture where the two sides meet each other where they’re at

[BearOso]

We also have a very limited number of compilers and a small number of prevalent architectures today. As long as you know the behavior of the target compiler and architecture, the behavior is defined, it's just not specified.

[pizlonator]

This is true.

But why I’m saying has always been true. What has changed is that the effective portability of C and C++ code has increased due to the reduction in number of compilers and arches