From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.4 (2020-01-24) on polar.synack.me X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=0.6 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00,FROM_WORDY autolearn=no autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: 103376,fd63afa4dc364b7e X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public X-Google-ArrivalTime: 2001-03-21 18:14:09 PST Path: supernews.google.com!sn-xit-03!supernews.com!nntp.cs.ubc.ca!news-spur1.maxwell.syr.edu!news.maxwell.syr.edu!news.stealth.net!207.115.63.142.MISMATCH!newscon02.news.prodigy.com!newscon06.news.prodigy.com!prodigy.com!newsmst01!postmaster.news.prodigy.com!newssvr10-int.news.prodigy.com.POSTED!not-for-mail From: "Ken Garlington" Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada References: <98m938$2iod0$1@ID-25716.news.dfncis.de><98pgs1$32up7$1@ID-25716.news.dfncis.de><98umc6$39coj$1@ID-25716.news.dfncis.de> Subject: Re: Static typing (Was Re: Better support for garbage collection) Organization: ex-FlashNet, now Prodigy X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Newsreader: Microsoft Outlook Express 5.50.4522.1200 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.50.4522.1200 Message-ID: NNTP-Posting-Host: 65.65.209.204 X-Complaints-To: abuse@prodigy.net X-Trace: newssvr10-int.news.prodigy.com 985226922 6207069 65.65.209.204 (Wed, 21 Mar 2001 21:08:42 EST) NNTP-Posting-Date: Wed, 21 Mar 2001 21:08:42 EST Date: Thu, 22 Mar 2001 02:08:42 GMT Xref: supernews.google.com comp.lang.ada:5984 Date: 2001-03-22T02:08:42+00:00 List-Id: "Robert A Duff" wrote in message news:wccelvrp7xk.fsf@world.std.com... : "Ken Garlington" writes: : : > Can't see why, since the terms "rational number" and "floating-point number" : > are not the same. I think I'd be much more bothered by a floating-point : > number without a (floating) point! : : Well, as it happens, "one half" is both a rational and (on most : machines) a floating point number. Not to mention a fixed point : number. ;-) Actually, I think "one half" is a string. :) More generally, of course, there are rational numbers that are not exactly representable as floating point numbers, so I don't see why a compiler should accept x/y as a floating-point literal. : : - Bob