[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > sys.maxint gives the largest positive integer supported by Python's > regular integer type. But maybe such attribute, with few others (they > can be called min and max) can be given to int type itself. > D is a very nice language, that I hope to see more used. It is copying > lot of things from Python. D Floating point values have some > proprieties: > > http://www.digitalmars.com/d/property.html > > Properties for Floating Point Types: > .init initializer (NaN) > .infinity infinity value > .nan NaN value > .dig number of decimal digits of precision > .epsilon smallest increment > .mant_dig number of bits in mantissa > .max_10_exp maximum exponent as power of 10 > .max_exp maximum exponent as power of 2 > .min_10_exp minimum exponent as power of 10 > .min_exp minimum exponent as power of 2 > .max largest representable value that's not infinity > .min smallest representable value that's not 0 > .re real part > .im imaginary part > > I think such attributes may be useful to be added to Python float > type/values too. > > Bye, > bearophile The thing about float is that people expect it to be 'fast'. Most CPU's have two or one representationfor floats that is supported by hardware and lightning fast compared to a pure software implementation. The decimal module provides for the 'bean counters' out their who can't afford to round off a penny, but I must say that this is the first request I have seen for a flexible float where you would not have hardware support (when hardware float support is available).
Or do you mean the ability to choose between hardware supported float s? e.g. float and double precision? Or to be able to just interrogate the float implementation so your prog can adjust to whatever implementation it is running under? Something like: assert float.mant_dig > 20 - Paddy. -- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
