Perhaps you should introduce a library of functions with names that 
specifically point to Unix/Linux compatibility — Matthias



> On Apr 25, 2016, at 8:37 AM, Jay McCarthy <jay.mccar...@gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Interesting. FWIW, my particular interest is something that I can
> reliably send to other tools like Unix's bc or C's scanf. Going down
> this line, however, did make me question using `number->string` all
> over the place in demo Web programs.
> 
> On Fri, Apr 22, 2016 at 10:22 AM, Robby Findler
> <ro...@eecs.northwestern.edu> wrote:
>> I think number->string is intended to be like `write` (ie written to
>> be read back in hopefully without losing anything) and maybe you want
>> something that's more in the spirit of `display`? (I.e., show
>> something to a human in a hopefully useful format (at least that's how
>> I see the difference between write and display)).
>> 
>> There is a very very old attempt at this that was designed for use
>> with DrRacket:
>> 
>> http://docs.racket-lang.org/framework/Number_Snip.html?q=number-snp#%28def._%28%28lib._framework%2Fmain..rkt%29._number-snip~3amake-repeating-decimal-snip%29%29
>> 
>> It does things like trying to make nice-looking fractions and show
>> helpful amounts of decimals and deals with the fact that smallish
>> rationals might turn into very very long decimals. It also requires a
>> GUI context, so that might not be helpful.
>> 
>> That said, I'm sure it could stand to be generalized and modernized
>> and improved. It is used in DrRacket currently, so you can just write
>> programs that produce numbers to play around with it.
>> 
>> Robby
>> 
>> On Fri, Apr 22, 2016 at 9:07 AM, Jay McCarthy <jay.mccar...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>> This is complicated by single-flonums which seem to pretty out in the
>>> reading format:
>>> 
>>> (number->string 3f0) ===> "3.0f0"
>>> 
>>> which is likely to look like an error to users.
>>> 
>>> This makes me feel like I should never use number->string to show
>>> something to a user... which seems strange.
>>> 
>>> On Wed, Apr 20, 2016 at 1:28 PM, Jay McCarthy <jay.mccar...@gmail.com> 
>>> wrote:
>>>> The documentation for (number->string z radix) is a bit sparse:
>>>> "Returns a string that is the printed form of z in the base specified
>>>> by radix. If z is inexact, radix must be 10, otherwise the
>>>> exn:fail:contract exception is raised."
>>>> 
>>>> In the case that z is inexact, are we guaranteed that it will always
>>>> print as "<Sign>?<Digit>+<Dot><Digit>+" and never use... (a) the
>>>> #i<Digit>+ format, (b) scientific notation, (c) not have a leading 0,
>>>> and so on?
>>>> 
>>>> Essentially, I would like to know that (number->string z 10) on an
>>>> inexact is equivalent to (real->decimal-string z +inf.0) (if infinity
>>>> were a legal value for the length of the decimal.)
>>>> 
>>>> If not, there doesn't seem to be another function that reliably prints
>>>> out floats.
>>>> 
>>>> Jay
>>>> 
>>>> --
>>>> Jay McCarthy
>>>> Associate Professor
>>>> PLT @ CS @ UMass Lowell
>>>> http://jeapostrophe.github.io
>>>> 
>>>>           "Wherefore, be not weary in well-doing,
>>>>      for ye are laying the foundation of a great work.
>>>> And out of small things proceedeth that which is great."
>>>>                          - D&C 64:33
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> --
>>> Jay McCarthy
>>> Associate Professor
>>> PLT @ CS @ UMass Lowell
>>> http://jeapostrophe.github.io
>>> 
>>>           "Wherefore, be not weary in well-doing,
>>>      for ye are laying the foundation of a great work.
>>> And out of small things proceedeth that which is great."
>>>                          - D&C 64:33
>>> 
>>> --
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> 
> 
> 
> -- 
> Jay McCarthy
> Associate Professor
> PLT @ CS @ UMass Lowell
> http://jeapostrophe.github.io
> 
>           "Wherefore, be not weary in well-doing,
>      for ye are laying the foundation of a great work.
> And out of small things proceedeth that which is great."
>                          - D&C 64:33
> 
> -- 
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