[Boost-users] [integer] what is the fastest integer type which can hold an 8 bit number?

Subject: [Boost-users] [integer] what is the fastest integer type which can hold an 8 bit number?
From: Robert Ramey (ramey_at_[hidden])
Date: 2015-09-11 00:30:42

Reading the documentation at

http://www.boost.org/doc/libs/1_59_0/libs/integer/doc/html/boost_integer/integer.html

I invoke the following

using temp_integer = typename boost::int_t<8>::fast;

With the idea of getting the fastest integer type which will hold an 8 
bit signed number.

But I get temp_integer equal to a char type.  This surprises me.  I 
don't believe that the fastest integer type which can hold an 8 bit 
signed integer is a char.  I looked into the boost/integer.hpp and I 
can't really figure it out.  It doesn't seem to to have any processor 
specific code in it - which I would think would be necessary to 
implement the function.  What am I missing here?

Robert Ramey