How to implement big int in C++

template< class BaseType >
class BigInt
{
typedef typename BaseType BT;
protected: std::vector< BaseType > value_;
};

template< class BaseType >
BigInt< BaseType >& BigInt< BaseType >::operator += (BigInt< BaseType > const& operand)
{
  BT count, carry = 0;
  for (count = 0; count < std::max(value_.size(), operand.value_.size(); count++)
  {
    BT op0 = count < value_.size() ? value_.at(count) : 0,
       op1 = count < operand.value_.size() ? operand.value_.at(count) : 0;
    BT digits_result = op0 + op1 + carry;
    if (digits_result-carry < std::max(op0, op1)
    {
      BT carry_old = carry;
      carry = digits_result;
      digits_result = (op0 + op1 + carry) >> sizeof(BT)*8; // NOTE [1]
    }
    else carry = 0;
  }

  return *this;
}
// NOTE 1: I did not test this code. And I am not sure if this will work; if it does
//         not, then you must restrict BaseType to be the second biggest type
//         available, i.e. a 32-bit int when you have a 64-bit long. Then use
//         a temporary or a cast to the mightier type and retrieve the upper bits.
//         Or you do it bitwise. ;-)

typedef struct {
    int high, low;
} BiggerInt;

BiggerInt add( const BiggerInt *lhs, const BiggerInt *rhs ) {
    BiggerInt ret;

    /* Ideally, you'd want a better way to check for overflow conditions */
    if ( rhs->high < INT_MAX - lhs->high ) {
        /* With a variable-length (a real) BigInt, you'd allocate some more room here */
    }

    ret.high = lhs->high + rhs->high;

    if ( rhs->low < INT_MAX - lhs->low ) {
        /* No overflow */
        ret.low = lhs->low + rhs->low;
    }
    else {
        /* Overflow */
        ret.high += 1;
        ret.low = lhs->low - ( INT_MAX - rhs->low ); /* Right? */
    }

    return ret;
}