Re: Another floating point inconsistency thing...

• Date: Sun, 11 Feb 1996 16:15:26 PST
• From:
  hpa@trantor.storm.net (H. Peter Anvin)
• Content-Type: text
• Newsgroups: local.moo
• Organization: Where Stormnet meets the Internet
• References: <TCPSMTP.16.2.11.15.52.14.2239992234.209759@bbs.calbbs.com>

In article <TCPSMTP.16.2.11.15.52.14.2239992234.209759@bbs.calbbs.com>,
 <sysop@calbbs.com> wrote:
>;3.
>Line 1:  syntax error
>1 error.
>;tofloat("3.")
>=> 3.0
>[used 2 ticks, 0 seconds.]
>


True, but it is harmless.  The reason 3. is rejected in code is that
it is very difficult for the parser to determine if the "." is really
intended to be a decimal point or not (as opposed to a range, for
example).  In the case of tofloat() there isn't anything else it
*could* be, so it seems it would be pretty silly to restrict it just
in order to throw a fit.

	-hpa

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