From: dxforth@gmail.com   
      
   On 9/04/2025 1:15 am, dxf wrote:   
   > ...   
   > It's not SET-PRECISION (presumably the implementer has made that sane)   
   > but rather variability when values are sane e.g.   
   >   
   >>> 6 set-precision  ok   
   >>> 1e-4 f.  0.000100000  ok   
   >>>   
   >>> 6 set-precision  ok   
   >>> 1e-4 f. 0.0001  ok   
   >   
   > While both of those are numerically correct, they're plainly different i.e.   
   > 11 characters vs. 6 characters.  As an app writer I'd like some uniformity   
   > here as I might want to output several columns of numbers on a screen.  To   
   > do that I need to know how wide to make those columns.   
   > ...   
      
   Iforth's F. was previously mentioned.  In addition to treating PRECISION as   
   a decimal points specifier (ok it was their decision) F. includes mode   
   switching based on something called 'fieldwidth' for which I could find no   
   reference.  Is mode switching good or bad?  As always - it depends.  I've   
   yet to see a bank statement with the balance displayed in scientific   
   notation.  (But then I'm not Elon Musk so who knows.)   
      
   I mention this to demonstrate the variability that exists across forth -   
   presumably because Forth-94 chose not to think it through leaving folks   
   to their own devices.  REPRESENT ?  Well, I could rant about that too :)   
      
   --- SoupGate-DOS v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)