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From: db@cbosgd.ATT.COM (Deceased Bird)
Newsgroups: comp.arch
Subject: Re: How does compiled code use the floa
Message-ID: <3163@cbosgd.ATT.COM>
Date: Tue, 16-Dec-86 18:16:08 EST
Article-I.D.: cbosgd.3163
Posted: Tue Dec 16 18:16:08 1986
Date-Received: Wed, 17-Dec-86 20:10:34 EST
References: <394@houxs.UUCP> <165100001@uiucdcsb> <132@piaget.UUCP>
Reply-To: db@cbosgd.UUCP (Deceased Bird)
Organization: The Pet Shoppe, EC1
Lines: 15

The original poster seems to be looking for automatic ways
of handling floating point, so perhaps that's why nobody
mentioned the obvious alternative: use a compiler switch
(i.e., manual direction) to control the generation of the
floating-point code.

A related question: what percentage of C compilers for PC-
type machines support floating-point hardware?  Are there
many out there that simply do not offer 8087 support?  Or
do the vast majority of compilers use one of the automatic
schemes described on the net?

(N.B. This question is academic -- I own a Mac and have no
plans to write a compiler or upgrade to a Levco Prodigy any-
time soon :-))