Path: csiph.com!usenet.pasdenom.info!news.redatomik.org!newsfeed.xs4all.nl!newsfeed1a.news.xs4all.nl!xs4all!newsgate.cistron.nl!newsgate.news.xs4all.nl!post.news.xs4all.nl!not-for-mail Return-Path: X-Original-To: python-list@python.org Delivered-To: python-list@mail.python.org X-Spam-Status: OK 0.004 X-Spam-Evidence: '*H*': 0.99; '*S*': 0.00; 'subject:Python': 0.05; 'float': 0.05; 'removes': 0.05; 'scaling': 0.07; 'received:80.91': 0.09; 'received:80.91.229': 0.09; 'received:gmane.org': 0.09; 'received:list': 0.09; 'output': 0.15; '>to': 0.16; 'exponent.': 0.16; 'imo,': 0.16; 'message-id:@4ax.com': 0.16; 'received:80.91.229.3': 0.16; 'received:plane.gmane.org': 0.16; 'then...': 0.16; 'written.': 0.16; 'integer': 0.18; 'url:home': 0.18; 'language': 0.19; '2015': 0.23; 'absolute': 0.23; 'mon,': 0.24; 'header:X-Complaints-To:1': 0.26; 'used,': 0.27; 'least': 0.27; 'format,': 0.27; 'decimal': 0.29; 'allows': 0.30; 'regardless': 0.31; 'fixed': 0.31; 'point': 0.33; 'common': 0.33; 'displayed': 0.33; 'point,': 0.33; 'languages': 0.34; 'subject:?': 0.34; 'to:addr:python-list': 0.35; 'skip:> 10': 0.35; 'but': 0.36; 'subject:" ': 0.36; 'two': 0.37; 'subject:: ': 0.37; 'charset:us- ascii': 0.37; 'version': 0.38; 'received:org': 0.38; 'supports': 0.38; 'does': 0.39; 'to:addr:python.org': 0.39; 'easily': 0.39; 'data': 0.40; 'even': 0.61; 'places': 0.64; 'money': 0.72; 'cent': 0.84; 'cobol': 0.84; 'non-zero': 0.84; 'dennis': 0.91; 'visualized': 0.91; 'received:108': 0.93 X-Injected-Via-Gmane: http://gmane.org/ To: python-list@python.org From: Dennis Lee Bieber Subject: Re: What is considered an "advanced" topic in Python? Date: Mon, 01 Jun 2015 20:33:50 -0400 Organization: IISS Elusive Unicorn References: <201506011124.t51BOqO2021385@fido.openend.se> <201506010949.35134.gheskett@wdtv.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Gmane-NNTP-Posting-Host: adsl-108-79-217-159.dsl.klmzmi.sbcglobal.net X-Newsreader: Forte Agent 6.00/32.1186 X-No-Archive: YES X-BeenThere: python-list@python.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.20+ Precedence: list List-Id: General discussion list for the Python programming language List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Newsgroups: comp.lang.python Message-ID: Lines: 36 NNTP-Posting-Host: 2001:888:2000:d::a6 X-Trace: 1433205348 news.xs4all.nl 2963 [2001:888:2000:d::a6]:58930 X-Complaints-To: abuse@xs4all.nl Xref: csiph.com comp.lang.python:91738 On Mon, 1 Jun 2015 09:49:35 -0400, Gene Heskett declaimed the following: >But IMO, any language that does not have the ability to set an fp number >to a fixed number of digits to the right of the separator regardless of >which , or . is used, needs one written. > That removes all modern hardware units using IEEE floating point standard, and pretty much all languages since (including) the first version of FORTRAN. Floating point numbers are x-significant digits (commonly x:7 for single precision and x:15 for double precision) with an exponent. Ada supports float and fixed point, but fixed point most easily visualized as an integer with a scaling factor. >The ability to guarantee that the output of a FIX(2) is zero to at least >17 significant digits so that a zero coomparison is not non-zero because >theres a 1 15 digits out in a 2 digit money format, is an absolute >requirement. > Use COBOL then... One used to have to go out of their way to get a "floating point" data type in COBOL... The common numeric type is packed BCD. Even M$ "money" datatype uses four decimal places even if only two are displayed to the user -- it allows for accumulation of fractions of a cent over time. -- Wulfraed Dennis Lee Bieber AF6VN wlfraed@ix.netcom.com HTTP://wlfraed.home.netcom.com/