RE: Strange result with exponents...

Okay, Hans...  I guess even putting joke in quotes was too strong, at least
in your eyes and probably others.

I dunno you know, but this is but one specific instance of the Computer
Industry getting screwed over and over by the Standards Committee approach,
and I'm sick of it.  But I, perhaps, overdid it here.

But point is:  although it's a given, and I'm eternally grateful for the
fact that the "IEEE float works perfectly well for its intended domain,
which is scientific calculations"..

..But you sort-a make a couple-a my points.  There COULD very well be a use
for more accuracy and less speed, with 64-bit integer "scientific"
calculations.  (I say "scientific", because there is some overlap between
biz and scientific programming.)  And (although I probably won't have time
to check link), this spec is about 6 or 7 years late to thuh party.  And
Sure hope new standard accounts for 128-bit math, if rumors you've mentioned
come about in V5R3!!

Gotta run, get some "work" done..  (This being my "play" time.)

Cheers Hans!

| -----Original Message-----
| [mailto:rpg400-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx]On Behalf Of Hans Boldt
| Sent: Wednesday, March 31, 2004 3:27 PM

| Hans wrote:
|  > | 2) As I've said before, IEEE float will not give you an exact result
|  > | anyways, so of course it should be avoided for monetary calculations.
|  > |
|
| jt wrote:
| > Meant to get back to this-un.  Points 1 and 3 are Very well-taken.  My
| > problem is with point #2:
| >
| > "Apparently" (to me obviously), the IEEE spec is a "joke"
| because it's so
| > out-dated.  And fixed-in-stone standards that don't change with modern
| > computing end up working AGAINST the computer industry.  Plus,
| I doubt if a
| > lot of these kinds-a Standards Bodies even HAD any awareness of the 400
| > platform to begin with.
| >
|
| James: As I'm sure I mentioned before, IEEE float works perfectly well
| for its intended domain, which is scientific calculations. It may be a
| joke to you, but it's not a joke for the thousands (millions?) of
| scientists who use it every day in their programs. But in that domain,
| 17 digits of precision is generally overkill anyways.
|
| IEEE float was never really intended to be used for financial
| calculations. Furthermore, using floating point to represent and compute
| financial amounts may well violate local laws, if not general accounting
| rules. (Check with the accountants in the countries where you do
| business.)
|
| That said, there are proposals for a decimal floating point format. You
| can find a description of one at
| <http://www.share.org/proceedings/sh98/data/S0018.PDF>. At present, I
| don't know if there are any serious plans to implement that spec in any
| hardware, but I know that one of the authors of that spec is pushing
| hard for it.