Re: [Boost-bugs] [Boost C++ Libraries] #9672: PDF and CDF of a laplace distribution throwing domain_error

Subject: Re: [Boost-bugs] [Boost C++ Libraries] #9672: PDF and CDF of a laplace distribution throwing domain_error
From: Boost C++ Libraries (noreply_at_[hidden])
Date: 2014-02-18 10:24:37

#9672: PDF and CDF of a laplace distribution throwing domain_error
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  Reporter:  HS <tan@…>               |      Owner:  pbristow
      Type:  Feature Requests         |     Status:  new
 Milestone:  To Be Determined         |  Component:  math
   Version:  Boost Development Trunk  |   Severity:  Showstopper
Resolution:                           |   Keywords:
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Comment (by pbristow):

 Good :-)

 Useful to have a professional statistician's view on when infinity should
 always be supported.

 In a sense, we already provide a way of achieving this view policies.  If
 you implement a policy to ignore domain and or overflow errors, then you
 will get a NaN.  You can achieve this now but studying the examples of
 using policies.

 When Boost.Math was first developed, the implementation of infinity and
 NaN was poorly and/or inconsistently supported, so our instinct was to
 duck the issues.

 But then John devised the 'policies' control of what happens when overflow
 or domain error is encountered.  (This allows us to mimic what happens
 when you have C view of error handling and error return codes).

 Also other parts of Boost.Math have been extended to make it appear that
 infinity and NaN are fully supported. So we have started to permit
 infinity in some cases, but not all because of the work involved to
 changes things (and the many tests) in all the many functions.  It has
 become a bit labyrinthine as a consequence. I'll put a fuller review on my
 TODO list.

-- 
Ticket URL: <https://svn.boost.org/trac/boost/ticket/9672#comment:6>
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