prePEP: Decimal data type

[Batista, Facundo]

Ron Adam wrote:

#- As for accounting specific features,  I really think a good separate
#- accounting math module would be better choice.  It could have a rich
#- set of functions  for calculating interest rates and Time-Value-Money
#- calculations such as mortgage payments, and loan Amortization lists
#- along with round_even and include most functions that one would find
#- on a business calculator or in a spreadsheet for that purpose. There
#- could also be euro/country specific functions if they are needed.  A
#- module such as this may be able to support localization better than
#- trying to build it in.  

Maybe. My idea (or roadmap, wow!) is to get Decimal working. *Then*, I'll
make a Money class. The idea is to get both into the standard library, but
that's all I need.

Maybe someone will want to make a Accounting module, based on Money, or
based on Decimal, but not me: I don't know accounting at all!


#- By the way,  I haven't seen anything yet on how fast the decimal type
#- will be compared to floats and ints?  From reading the specs on it I
#- get the impression its slower than ints but has compression so uses
#- less memory, but I was wandering how much slower?  Or maybe it isn't
#- slower if it is handled as an integer with a base ten integer
#- exponent?

Didn't make any test. First, I'll get it working. Maybe then I'll get it
fast. Anyway, read the Aahz signature...

.	Facundo