Re: [GNU-COBOL] math library questions

["John J. Adelsberger III" <jja@umr.edu>]

> John J. Adelsberger III wrote :>

> Already used doubles once. Moving on.

To something else nonstandard?  WHY?!  Surely you don't think BCD is hard?

> Well just as a side note. COBOL does have a floatin=point module, which
> is a required part of the intresic(ps) functions, thus the work is
> not going to be wasted.

Ok, but isn't it IEEE floating point?  If so, float and/or double are
correct for it.

> On a side note. John, I welcome your help on the project BUT you
> will follow our coding standards and practices with out argument. 
> Note: we don't have the std & practices in writing, but John you
> know what we want, and we know how you write.
> But the std & practice will be formalized as we have time.

Actually, unless you write to the GNU standards, which are much more like
mine than yours, you can't be a GNU project, period.  Now, if what you
mean is that you don't want void functions, I'll be happy to return zero 
even from functions incapable of detecting errors to appease you:)

> The basics are: Readiable and maintainable code.
> Readable and maintainable by "anyone", novice and expert.

If you think you can implement all the algorithms needed for COBOL in
such a way that a novice has any chance of understanding them, even if 
written out in English, you're on drugs.  I can work to improve certain
things, but I don't pretend, for instance, that BCD packing is going to
make any sense to people who can barely handle the concept of NULL
terminated char* strings.  You shouldn't either.  All fantasies of a
perfect world aside, some things are nontrivial.

-- 
John J. Adelsberger III
jja@umr.edu

"Civilization is the process of setting man free from men."

						- Ayn Rand

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