Re: [boost] Name and Namespace for Potential Boost Extended Floating-Point

Subject: Re: [boost] Name and Namespace for Potential Boost Extended Floating-Point
From: Dave Abrahams (dave_at_[hidden])
Date: 2011-08-31 15:12:24

on Wed Aug 31 2011, "Simonson, Lucanus J" <lucanus.j.simonson-AT-intel.com> wrote:

> Please don't call it real.  An mp float type is not at all a real
> number any more than a regular float type is a real number.  With
> extended precision floating type you cannot represent irrationals and
> you cannot represent most rationals exactly either.  What it is is a
> floating point type with a variable, but still finite number of bits.
> All computers have finite sized memory and are required to run
> programs in a finite ammount of time.  That is why these numerical
> types are properly called multiple precision and not infinte
> precision.  I'd like to see the name be mp_float.  I prefer:
>
> mp_float
> mp_int
> mp_rational

+1

-- 
Dave Abrahams
BoostPro Computing
http://www.boostpro.com