1. Floating point math
- Posted by Daniel Berstein <architek at GEOCITIES.COM> Jun 22, 1997
- 705 views
- Last edited Jun 23, 1997
I think the binary floating point Euphoria uses for atom's may have it's benefits (maybe speed), but it has been proof that we need a way to store *accurate* decimal values. It seems that all "solutions" posted here aren't generally valid. The solution may come from RDS, creating a new data type, that may be slower for arithmetic calculations, but absolutly accurate when dealing with decimal values. -- Regards, Daniel Berstein architek at geocities.com http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Heights/9316
2. Floating point math
- Posted by Larry Gregg <lgregg at BIG12.METROBBS.COM> Jun 23, 1997
- 762 views
Daniel Berstein at <architek at GEOCITIES.COM> wrote concerning "Floating point math": > I think the binary floating point Euphoria uses for atom's may have > it's benefits (maybe speed), but it has been proof that we need a way > to store *accurate* decimal values. It seems that all "solutions" > posted here aren't generally valid. > The solution may come from RDS, creating a new data type, that may be > slower for arithmetic calculations, but absolutly accurate when dealing > with decimal values. I think we need an assembly programmer to write some Binary Coded Decimal (BCD) math routines which can be loaded into Euphoria. I downloaded a file named BCDASM.ZIP from Simtelnet. Here is the file_id.diz: > x86 assembly language BCD math. TASM > 80x86 16-/32-bit routines to handle > packed signed Binary-Coded-Decimals > (add, sub, imul, idiv, mod, shl, shr, > cmp, mov, load, conversion, display). > Huge integer math. No FPU support. > Includes multi-memory-model assembly > source, docs, C libs, and Pascal TPU. > TASM v3.20+ required for reassembly. > Un-Zip with /d. (FW)(June 1997) and an excerpt from the description file: > General considerations > ---------------------- > > Numbers in business applications software must be large and > precise. Accounting books must balance so floating-point math > and its potential for rounding errors is insufficient. > > Performing business math in the CPU registers is OK if you > can make do with numbers in the range +21,474,836.47 to > -21,474,836.48 (32 bit). Inflation-ridden nations, large > companies, and Italian car dealers need bigger numbers. > > BCD math is basic in-memory integer math that lets you handle > numbers of considerable sizes, typically 18 digits but with > the capacity for several thousand digits. By tradition, BCDs > are used for business math and BCD schemes are supported by > several computers. All Intel's iAPx86 chips (PCs) execute BCD > instructions. The package was written by: > Morten Elling > Ellemarksvej 12 > DK-8000 Aarhus C > Denmark > > <mailto:elling at post1.tele.dk> Since I am not an assembler programmer, I don't know where to begin to adapt this stuff to Euphoria, even though the author says: > Copyright and disclaimer > ------------------------ > > This text and the accompanying assembly source files and > binary files ("BCDASM") are copyright Morten Elling, 1997. > > You're free to use BCDASM for educational purposes and in > software (freeware, shareware, or commercial) but use it > at your own risk. BCDASM is offered without any guarantee. > > You're free to distribute the BCDASM file archive through > any media at your disposal on condition that the contents > of the file archive are not modified. But, the possibility of exact integer math does exist for use with Euphoria. Larry Gregg
3. Floating point math
- Posted by Ad Rienks <Ad_Rienks at COMPUSERVE.COM> Jun 23, 1997
- 685 views
Architek wrote: >I think the binary floating point Euphoria uses for atom's may have >it's benefits (maybe speed), but it has been proof that we need a way >to store *accurate* decimal values. It seems that all "solutions" >posted here aren't generally valid. >The solution may come from RDS, creating a new data type, that may be >slower for arithmetic calculations, but absolutly accurate when dealing >with decimal values. >-- >Regards, > Daniel Berstein > architek at geocities.com > http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Heights/9316 Yes!!! Thank you Daniel, exactly my feeling! Ad Rienks
4. Floating point math
- Posted by Ad Rienks <Ad_Rienks at COMPUSERVE.COM> Jun 23, 1997
- 694 views
Larry Gregg writes: >>> A lot of interesting stuff <<< >But, the possibility of exact integer math does exist for >use with Euphoria. >Larry Gregg I'm very much interested. I could have a try at the assembly routines, as= I used to write small things (only trying to get my hands dirty) in A86, a very good assembler program. The big problem is I have a daytime job and also other interests besides programming. So don't expect miracles from m= e within a few days ): I'll see how far I can get! Ad Rienks
5. Re: Floating point math
- Posted by Daniel Berstein <architek at GEOCITIES.COM> Jun 23, 1997
- 691 views
Larry Gregg wrote: > I think we need an assembly programmer to write some Binary > Coded Decimal (BCD) math routines which can be loaded into > Euphoria. > > I downloaded a file named BCDASM.ZIP from Simtelnet. Here > is the file_id.diz: Looks interesting, I'll peek at it. > But, the possibility of exact integer math does exist for > use with Euphoria. Lets hope this changes in the future. -- Regards, Daniel Berstein architek at geocities.com http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Heights/9316