Jeff Clites writes:
> On Nov 4, 2004, at 8:29 PM, Brent 'Dax' Royal-Gordon wrote:
> >This is true. But how do you define a number? Do you include
> >floating-point? Fixed-point? Bignum? Bigrat? Complex? Surreal?
> >Matrix? N registers don't even begin to encompass all the "numbers"
> >out there.
>
> Floating point, and possibly integer. Those are the numeric primitives
> of processors. Other aggregate mathematical types are always defined in
> terms of those (in a computing context), one way or another.
The question is, though, how do compilers think of it? That is, does
the compiler have the liberty, given the code:
$x ** $y
To emit:
pow $P0, x, y
Or must it use a named multimethod?
This is just the age-old question, is this operation "fundamental"
according to Parrot?
Luke
