Re: [boost] [serialization] facets for non-finite numbers

From: Paul A Bristow (pbristow_at_[hidden])
Date: 2006-08-17 09:19:29

|  -----Original Message-----
|  From: boost-bounces_at_[hidden] 
|  [mailto:boost-bounces_at_[hidden]] On Behalf Of Hubert Holin
|  Sent: 17 August 2006 13:15
|  To: boost_at_[hidden]
|  Subject: Re: [boost] [serialization] facets for non-finite numbers
|  
|  Johan Råde <rade <at> maths.lth.se> writes:
|  
|  >         Output is consistent with C99. (In particular, 
|  negative NaN is 
|  > written as "-nan".
|  
|  Paris (U.E.), le 17/08/2006
|  
|  Bonjour
|  
|  *Negative* Not-A-Number? What is such a beast, and what should
|  it be used for? Next, I vote for an Octonionic Not-A-Number! And
|  I definitely want a notation for the elements of the Stone-Chech
|  compactification of a set which are not in the base set...   ;-)

Chill, man chill - your imagination is wonderfully out of control!

You've obviously missed all the previous equally over-heated arguments ;-)

This makes NO pretence at *any mathematical meaning at all*,

but the *signbit* remains a potentially valuable bit that can be used for
User Defined Purposes,

(as can all other NaN bits that have no math meaning either)

most obviously to indicate membership of the set of missing values ;-)

Paul

---
Paul A Bristow
Prizet Farmhouse, Kendal, Cumbria UK LA8 8AB
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