in reply to
Re^2: 3-byte representation
in thread 3-byte representation
Considering a process is allocated megabytes of memory when it runs, worrying about a few thousand kilobytes of wasted space is not really productive.
Wasting memory or wasting CPU resources is never good, of course, but correctness is the first priority. Once you have a solution that works correctly, tighten up memory use, IF it presents a problem in the number of instances you can run; tighten up the algorithmns involved, IF there's a problem with run time.
No problem? Go on to the next task.
As Occam said: Entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitatem.