[saravk]

This is where macros (C) come in to play. Using macros (do all the bit shifting and masking inside) you can write very human readable code that is easy to maintain and while at the same time offers all the advantages of using bit-masks.

The major advantage of bitwise operators for me is the memory savings that come with them. I used to write the route calculation algorithms for routers and every bit/byte save had an tremendous impact on the total capacity of the router. We use bitfields to set and store various things from simple flags to multi-bit values, all inside a single integer variable.

[anigbrowl]

Great point and excellent context.