C++ proposal: There are exactly 8 bits in a byte

the fact that this isn't already done after all these years is one of the reasons why I no longer use C/C++. it takes years and years to get anything done, even the tiniest, most obvious drama free changes. contrast with Go, which has had this since version 1, in 2012:

https://pkg.go.dev/builtin@go1#byte

Don't worry, 20 years from now Go will also be struggling to change assumptions baked into the language in 2012.