From: erewhon@nowhere.uk   
      
   On Thu, 28 Apr 2005 08:39:18 GMT, "Raoul Watson"   
    wrote:   
      
      
      
   >You are giving a whole bunch of known excuses from Microsoft.   
   >   
   >If you have worked with other math packages such as SANE from Apple, you   
   >would agree that the programmer should never have to worry about   
   >inaccuracies due to internal data representation. When he does a   
   >calculation, it will come out EXACTLY the way it suppose to.   
      
   I am afraid I don't fully agree with that   
   - the problem is down to the Institute of Electrical & Electronic   
   Engineers   
      
   MS did not develop the IEEE format, if anything they were slow at   
   adopting it.   
      
   The problem is that IEEE is simply 'faulty'   
   - some numbers can only be stored as approximations   
      
   MS to give them their credit, realized the problem of IEEE and their   
   own original format and used BCD in their Business Basic (1981-2)   
   which was targeted at replacing CBasic ( DR's CB86 )   
      
   They also brought in the Currency variable.   
      
   I do, however think that their use of banker's rounding anywhere is   
   pure insanity.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)