[Python-Dev] Numerical robustness, IEEE etc.

[Nick Maclaren]

Michael Hudson <mwh at python.net> wrote:
> 
> > As I have posted to comp.lang.python, I am not happy with Python's
> > numerical robustness - because it basically propagates the 'features'
> > of IEEE 754 and (worse) C99. 
> 
> That's not really now I would describe the situation today.

It is certainly the case in 2.4.2, however you would describe it.

> > 2) Because some people are dearly attached to the current behaviour,
> > warts and all, and there is a genuine quandary of whether the 'right'
> > behaviour is trap-and-diagnose, propagate-NaN or whatever-IEEE-754R-
> > finally-specifies (let's ignore C99 and Java as beyond redemption),
> 
> Why?  Maybe it's clear to you, but it's not totally clear to me, and
> it any case the discussion would be better informed for not being too
> dismissive.

Why which?  There are several things that you might be puzzled over.
And where can I start?  Part of the problem is that I have spent a LOT
of time in these areas in the past decades, and have been involved
with many of the relevant standards, and I don't know what to assume.

> > there might well need to be options.  These can obviously be done by
> > a command-line option, an environment variable or a float method.
> > There are reasons to disfavour the last, but all are possible.  Which
> > is the most Pythonesque approach?
> 
> I have heard Tim say that there are people who would dearly like to be
> able to choose.  Environment variables and command line switches are
> not Pythonic.

All right, but what is?  Firstly, for something that needs to be
program-global?  Secondly, for things that don't need to be brings
up my point of adding methods to a built-in class.

> I'm interested in making Python's floating point story better, and
> have worked on a few things for Python 2.5 -- such as
> pickling/marshalling of special values -- but I'm not really a
> numerical programmer and don't like to guess what they need.

Ah.  I must get a snapshot, then.  That was one of the lesser things
on my list.  I have spent a lot of the past few decades in the numerical
programming arena, from many aspects.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren,
University of Cambridge Computing Service,
New Museums Site, Pembroke Street, Cambridge CB2 3QH, England.
Email:  nmm1 at cam.ac.uk
Tel.:  +44 1223 334761    Fax:  +44 1223 334679