[Python-Dev] make decimal the default non-integer instead of float?

[Gregory P. Smith]

-cc: python-dev
+cc: python-ideas

On Sat, Sep 29, 2012 at 11:39 AM, Chris Angelico <rosuav at gmail.com> wrote:

> On Sun, Sep 30, 2012 at 4:26 AM, Brett Cannon <brett at python.org> wrote:
> > Does this mean we want to re-open the discussion about decimal constants?
> > Last time this came up I think we decided that we wanted to wait for
> > cdecimal (which is obviously here) and work out how to handle contexts,
> the
> > syntax, etc.
>
> Just to throw a crazy idea out: How bad a change would it be to make
> decimal actually the default?
>
> (Caveat: I've not worked with decimal/cdecimal to any real extent and
> don't know its limitations etc.)
>

Painful for existing code, unittests and extension modules.  Definitely
python-ideas territory (thread moved there with an appropriate subject).

I'm not surprised at all that a decimal type can be "fast" in an
interpreted language due to the already dominant interpreter overhead.

I wish all spreadsheets had used decimals from day one rather than binary
floating point (blame Lotus?). Think of the trouble that would have saved
the world.

-gps
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