Long integer is a term used in computer science to describe a variable that can hold a positive or negative whole number, whose range is greater or equal to that of a standard integer on the same machine.
In practice it is usual for a long integer to require double the storage capacity of a standard integer, and consequently hold double the number of discrete values, although this is not always the case.
A variable defined as a long integer in one programming language may be different in size to a similarly defined variable in another. In some languages this size is fixed across platforms, whilst in others it is machine dependent. In some languages this data type does not exist at all.
See also: computer numbering formats, integer