On Wed, Dec 09, 2009 at 09:56:13PM +0100, Rainer Orth wrote:
> Fedor Sergeev <Fedor.Sergeev at sun.com> writes:
> 
> > Nor I have seen any requests from customers flying around about that.
> 
> That's at least a data point.
> 
> > As decimal floating point support is not likely to be included into the 
> > upcoming
> > C and C++ standards (at least not sought out as that right now) it is 
> > "categorized"
> > for SunStudio compiler project as a useful gcc feature.
> 
> It's obviously not only a GCC feature: from
> 
> http://www.google.de/url?sa=t&source=web&ct=res&cd=1&ved=0CAcQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ac.usc.es%2Farith19%2Fsites%2Fdefault%2Ffiles%2F3670a225-spec-session-DFP-paper2.pdf&ei=aw0gS_q0OonE-Qadv62BDA&usg=AFQjCNH0q579_YEVFUOhmap8wfCgTapkpg
> 

Thanks for the paper!

> it seems that at least HP cc on IA-64 and Intel C++ implement it as
> well.  And Power6 even supports it in hardware, and IBM's xlc supports
> that, of course.  Obviously other vendors see the need, and it would be
> good for Sun to at least follow, if it cannot lead the pack.

Citing the above paper:
"Widespread usage of the IEEE 754-2008 decimal floating-point arithmetic has 
yet to materialize,
but progress in the first several months after adoption of the new standard is 
promising.
"

does not sound like 'the pack' went far enough IMO.

Would Sun support it in hardware that would be a huge bump up in priority.

> 
> > We do work on "useful gcc features", but honestly this one does not have a 
> > chance to hit the first 
> > half of my own priority list.
> >
> > Would it move from a technical report into the standard, that would change 
> > alot.
> 
> There seems to be a misunderstanding here: pending the next revision of
> the C standard, type 1/2 ISO TRs are as close to standardization as you
> can get.

Not in C/C++ standard near plans as per my sources.
Thought it definitely may change.

regards,
  Fedor.

> 
>       Rainer
> 
> -- 
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Rainer Orth, Center for Biotechnology, Bielefeld University
> _______________________________________________
> tools-compilers mailing list
> tools-compilers at opensolaris.org

Reply via email to