--- This message is a formal comment which was submitted to [EMAIL PROTECTED], following the requirements described at: http://www.r6rs.org/process.html --- submitter: Ben Harris <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> type: Simplification priority: Trivial component: Arithmetic version: 5.92 summary: Rename bitwise-arithmetic-shift to bitwise-shift etc.
The distinction between "logical" and "arithmetic" shift operations is only relevant when working with a fixed word-length and both signed and unsigned numbers. In those cases, the choice of shift operation determines how bits inserted at the high-order end of the word are chosen, with "logical" shifts being useful for unsigned values, and "arithmetic" shifts for signed ones. Scheme numbers, as represented in (r6rs arithmetic bitwise) are of indefinite length and are always signed, so a bitwise "logical" shift operation on them would be meaningless on two counts. In consequence, I think that the following procedures should be renamed to remove the word "arithmetic": Page From To 42 bitwise-arithmetic-shift bitwise-shift 42 bitwise-arithmetic-shift-left bitwise-shift-left 42 bitwise-arithmetic-shift-right bitwise-shift-right 38 fxarithmetic-shift fxshift 38 fxarithmetic-shift-left fxshift-left 38 fxarithmetic-shift-right fxshift-right -- Ben Harris _______________________________________________ r6rs-discuss mailing list [email protected] http://lists.r6rs.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/r6rs-discuss
