Re: Why no 'Floor for fixed point types

["Robert I. Eachus" <rieachus@comcast.net>]

Duncan Sands wrote:
> I think the subject says it all.  Just curious.

For floating-point types, integer values are either model numbers or in 
a range limited by two integer model numbers.  (Or are IEEE infinities 
or NANs.)

But for fixed-point types, there may be few integer values that can be 
represented.  A typical example might be:

type Radians is delta Pi/1000 range -Pi..Pi;
for Radians'small use Pi/1000;

where the only integer value of the type is zero.

For type Radians what should Radians'Floor return? It doesn't make much 
sense for it to return a value that is approximately an integer, 
especially since Radians'Floor(Radians'Floor(X)) = Randians'Floor(X) 
could return false.  It might be nice to have a type conversion to 
Integer that truncated instead of rounding, but that is a different 
question.
-- 
                                            Robert I. Eachus

"Quality is the Buddha. Quality is scientific reality. Quality is the 
goal of Art. It remains to work these concepts into a practical, 
down-to-earth context, and for this there is nothing more practical or 
down-to-earth than what I have been talking about all along...the repair 
of an old motorcycle."  -- from Zen and the Art of Motorcycle 
Maintenance by Robert Pirsig