[Python-Dev] Decimal floats as default (was: discussion aboutPEP239 and 240)

[Aahz]

On Mon, Jun 27, 2005, Michael Chermside wrote:
>
> If, by this, you mean adding a "binary float context" modeled after
> the Decimal float context and providing access to the underlying FP
> flags and traps and generally enhancing the use of binary FP, then
> I think it's a great idea. It's probably impossible to write in a
> cross-platform manner (because C supplies support for binary FP but
> does not offer access to the flags and traps), but this is one of those
> few cases where it's worth using platform-and-compiler specific code.
> 
> Of course, someone still has to step forward and offer to code it.

...and document and maintain it.  That's always been the sticky part,
along with the requirement that this degrade gracefully when the
platform-specific code doesn't exist.
-- 
Aahz (aahz at pythoncraft.com)           <*>         http://www.pythoncraft.com/

f u cn rd ths, u cn gt a gd jb n nx prgrmmng.