C: what is the practical reason to declare `const Uint32 x = ((Uint32)1 << 12)`, rather then simply `.. = 4096` or `.. = (Uint32)4096`?
Summary The question arises from analyzing the LZMA encoder source code where the constant kReduceMin is declared as ((UInt32)1 << 12) rather than the seemingly equivalent 4096 or (UInt32)4096. While both expressions evaluate to the same runtime value, the choice reflects specific engineering disciplines common in low-level, portable C development. The primary reason is intent … Read more