> But it is the lower bit that is ignored, no, si i guess incrementing an
> ocaml integer by 1, correspond to incrementing the machine integer by
> two, and would set the overflow flag in the processor status register
> all the same, would it not ? 

Yes, except that not all processors have overflow flags.  The Alpha
and the MIPS don't, for instance.  Integer arithmetic modulo a power
of 2 is unpleasant for certain applications (and very useful for
others, e.g. hash functions and cryptography), but this is really all
what today's processors offer.

- Xavier Leroy
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