Decimal arithmatic, was Re: Python GUI app to impress the boss?

[Christian Tismer]

Dan Bishop wrote:
 > Magnus Lyckå <magnus at thinkware.se> wrote in message 
news:<3D8B1537.4010803 at thinkware.se>...
 >
 >>ChrisBarker wrote:
 >>
 >>>The only reason I can see
 >>>to not writing your class in Python is performance, and unless you are
 >>>doing a lot of calculations, that is probably a non-issue.
 >>
 >>Performance issues might well matter in large financial
 >>systems, but that's not the only reason.
 >
 >
 > Please name one other real-world situation in which decimal arithmetic
 > is actually *needed*.

There is no reason to argue about that.
Decimal arithmetic is exact for most of the operations
bankers require. They have been demanding for it since
decades, and they will not drop it. Having "no rounding
issue at all" is better than any consideration about
neglectible errors, it cannot be beaten, since *they*
understand it.
Cannot be discussed. They pay the bill.

ciao - chris

-- 
Christian Tismer             :^)   <mailto:tismer at tismer.com>
Mission Impossible 5oftware  :     Have a break! Take a ride on Python's
Johannes-Niemeyer-Weg 9a     :    *Starship* http://starship.python.net/
14109 Berlin                 :     PGP key -> http://wwwkeys.pgp.net/
work +49 30 89 09 53 34  home +49 30 802 86 56  pager +49 173 24 18 776
PGP 0x57F3BF04       9064 F4E1 D754 C2FF 1619  305B C09C 5A3B 57F3 BF04
       whom do you want to sponsor today?   http://www.stackless.com/