Re: number_base

["Randy Brukardt" <randy@rrsoftware.com>]

"amado.alves" <amado.alves@netcabo.pt> wrote in message
news:mailman.244.1067530630.25614.comp.lang.ada@ada-france.org...
>(Re: Changing Number_Base'Last to 36)
>This sounds logical, useful and very easy to implement. Theoretically it
could break legacy
>code relying on Number_Base'Last being 16, but I doubt there is any such
code.

The main objection raised was potential confusion between 1 and l, and 0 and
O in numeric literals.

My personal feeling is that it isn't worth the effort (and there is
certainly non-zero effort required). Janus/Ada originally supported numeric
literals to base 36; at some point we took it out in order to pass
validation. We never got any complaints about it, so I have to conclude
there wasn't much (if any) use of the feature.

In any event, to get an AC changed to an AI, you need to find two ARG
members to request it. Support from the general public isn't particularly
relevant (I suppose a huge groundswell of opinion might sway some ARG
members priorities, but otherwise you need to talk ARG members into it).

                Randy Brukardt
                ARG Editor