From: no.email@nospam.invalid   
      
   dxf  writes:   
   > AFAICS IEEE 754 offers nothing particularly useful for the end-user.   
   > Either one's fp application works - or it doesn't.  IEEE hasn't   
   > changed that.   
      
   The purpose of IEEE FP was to improve the numerical accuracy of   
   applications that used it as opposed to other formats.   
      
   > IEEE's relevance is that it spurred Intel into making an FPU which in   
   > turn made implementing fp easy.   
      
   Exactly the opposite, Intel decided that it wanted to make an FPU and it   
   wanted the FPU to have the best FP arithmetic possible.  So it   
   commissioned Kahan (a renowned FP expert) to design the FP format.   
   Kahan said "Why not use the VAX format?  It is pretty good".  Intel said   
   it didn't want pretty good, it wanted the best, so Kahan said "ok" and   
   designed the 8087 format.   
      
   The IEEE standardization process happened AFTER the 8087 was already in   
   progress.  Other manufacturers signed onto it, some of them overcoming   
   initial resistance, after becoming convinced that it was the right   
   thing.   
      
   http://people.eecs.berkeley.edu/~wkahan/ieee754status/754story.html   
      
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