[Python-3000] Updated and simplified PEP 3141: A Type Hierarchyfor Numbers

[Guido van Rossum]

On 8/2/07, Terry Reedy <tjreedy at udel.edu> wrote:
> Floats constitute a bit-size bounded (like ints) set of rationals with
> denominators restricted to powers of two.  Decimal literals and Decimals
> constitute a memory bounded (like longs) set of rationals with denominators
> instead restricted to powers of ten.  I suspect that if both were presented
> as such, new programmers would be less likely to ask if
> >>> 1.1
> 1.1000000000000001
> is a bug in Python.

You gotta be kidding. That complaint mostly comes from people who
would completely glaze over an explanation like the paragraph above.

-- 
--Guido van Rossum (home page: http://www.python.org/~guido/)