boblq wrote: > On Thursday 08 June 2006 01:30 pm, Andrew Lentvorski wrote: >> Unfortunately, the same experience doesn't exist for decimal floating >> point. However, I can tell you that I have yet to meet even a good >> programmer who can write binary floating point code that doesn't have >> all manner of horrible problems. >> >> -a > > I will go along with that. Back in the early 80's I was > developing an application for the Apple II. We had > data that had a wide dynamic range and low accuracy. > We had lots of it and so I thought well just make up > a special floatingpoint for this data and cram it all > into 8 bits IIRR. It worked. But it was not nearly as easy > as I thought it would be. We did it with binary floating > point. I suspect it would have made more sense to > invent some kind of decimal floatingpoint, but we were > ignorant of all of the issues involved when we started ... > as is often the case. >
So, I wonder: -what's the current state of the decimal floating point movement -and what's the prognosis for general availability & adoption? ..jim -- [email protected] http://www.kernel-panic.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/kplug-lpsg
