Int data type size

[ytrewq]

Very simple solution, I guess, (I am new to C) but when I use this:

#include <stdio.h>

main()
{
   printf("Size of int data type: %d",  sizeof(int));
   return 0;
}

I get 4 - I understand that the size of the int data type should be 2. So my question is... why am I getting 4?

[Thantos]

The standard only specifies the min size for an int. Your system is free to expand the size as it sees fit. Most of the modern compiler uses 32 bit integers. Since on the majority of systems CHAR_BIT is set to 8, 32 / 8 = 4

[ytrewq]

Ah, thank you, I had assumed that it was the same in every C program.

Funny, I swear earlier it was 2-byte...

[quzah]

It was. It wasn't that long ago that 16 bit integers were the common thing. Some time not too far off, they'll likely be 64 bits.

Quzah.