[Python-Dev] Adventures with Decimal

[Tim Peters]

[Guido]
> It looks like if you pass in a context, the Decimal constructor
> still ignores that context:
> 
> >>> import decimal as d
> >>> d.getcontext().prec = 4
> >>> d.Decimal("1.2345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567890000",
> d.getcontext())
> Decimal("1.2345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567890000")
> >>>
> 
> I think this is contrary to what some here have claimed (that you
> could pass an explicit context to cause it to round according to the
> context's precision).

I think Michael Chermside said that's how a particular Java
implementation works.

Python's Decimal constructor accepts a context argument, but the only
use made of it is to possibly signal a ConversionSyntax condition.