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From: gnu@sun.uucp (John Gilmore)
Newsgroups: net.lang.c
Subject: Re: Float in C, not in 68000
Message-ID: <1862@sun.uucp>
Date: Tue, 11-Dec-84 01:24:38 EST
Article-I.D.: sun.1862
Posted: Tue Dec 11 01:24:38 1984
Date-Received: Thu, 13-Dec-84 02:26:34 EST
References: <62@vax2.fluke.UUCP> <252@desint.UUCP> <4721@utzoo.UUCP> <554@cbosgd.UUCP> <270@desint.UUCP>
Organization: Sun Microsystems, Inc.
Lines: 16

> >One additional point:  not all machines have hardware support for BCD
> >arithmetic.  As it stands, the C language can be implemented *efficiently*
> >on a reasonably large number of machines.
> 
> The 68000 doesn't have floating point...
> --  	Geoff Kuenning

The 68000 doesn't have main memory either.  That's no reason to avoid
putting memory in the language.  There exist many 68000-based systems
with hardware floating point.  Indeed, on the Sun we generate
subroutine calls for some long int multiplies, but do all float/double
multiplies inline if you specify hardware float.

A processor chip is not a system!

Now can we kill this BCD disgussion?  Pleeeez?