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From: dewar@merv.cs.nyu.edu (Robert Dewar)
Subject: Re: floating point problem
Date: 1997/03/15
Message-ID: <dewar.858438733@merv>#1/1
X-Deja-AN: 225803174
References: <5f0faa$6ok@mtinsc04.worldnet.att.net>
 <331ace4d.1427558395@news.mwci.net> <dewar.857535729@merv>
 <1997Mar5.083938.1@eisner> <dewar.857586895@merv> <1997Mar6.080211.1@eisner>
 <dewar.857911706@merv> <5fvqkr$7n7@mulga.cs.mu.OZ.AU> <dewar.857974200@merv>
 <1997Mar10.074953.1@eisner> <dewar.858142750@merv>
 <33275cc2.412517674@news.mwci.net>
Organization: New York University
Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada
Date: 1997-03-15T00:00:00+00:00
List-Id: <comp.lang.ada>


<<Agreed with new machines.  However, there are tons of older 386 and
486SX machines floating around out there still being used without the
floating point unit.>>

Sure there are tons of such machines, but for serious development work,
which is what GNAT is intended for, it is silly to use an ancient 386
or 486SX when for under $600 you can get a brand new machine that will
do the job so much better. (look around, you will find many good deals
on new PC's that are under the power curve -- I bought a 50MHz DX2 486
with 2X CD ROM, 8 megs memory, lots of junk installed software, a few
months ago (actually probably a year ago now) for $399, you can do
better today.

The people most affected are those with old notebooks with 486 SX
processors. GNAT and DOS and such machines do not mix if you want to
do floating-point. Mike Feldman has often complained about this (but
has not fixed it :-)

As has been pointed out, moving to other operating systems which provide
proper emulation of the fpt chip is one answer.

It probably would not be that hard to rig up something that worked on DOS,
it's just not on our radar screen of worthwhile things to spend time on (a
list tha has plenty of entries).

I think this is a problem that will rapidly go away. I polled the entire
incoming CS class last semester, nobody had anything like that primitive
a machine (many of them had machines that would attract anyone's hardware
envy :-)