[Python-Dev] FP vs. tutorial

[Guido van Rossum]

[Mark]
> IMO, The Python tutorial or other documentation should include a basic
> example of these "errors", and a link to _either_ of the HTML pages
> referenced in this thread as an optional extra.
> 
> Just enough to stop _most_ of the "this is a bug" posts - but
> stopping well short of any attempt to "educate" them in floating
> point madness.  Just _one_ example of floats not being exact would
> suffice.

I agree: we don't have to explain *why* it happens.  We just have to
explain *that* it happens, so so folks don't think they've discovered
a bug in Python.

Or maybe we could do this: in the main text, explain and show *that*
it happens, and refer to the appendix which can explain *why* it
happens to those interested, in a gentle manner like what Tim already
wrote.

--Guido van Rossum (home page: http://www.python.org/~guido/)