-----Original Message----- From: boost-bounces@lists.boost.org [mailto:boost-bounces@lists.boost.org] On Behalf Of Scott McMurray Sent: 08 October 2008 16:11 To: boost@lists.boost.org Subject: Re: [boost] [mp_int] new release
On Wed, Oct 8, 2008 at 11:01, Brandon Kohn <blkohn@hotmail.com> wrote:
-------------------------------------------------- From: "Mathias Gaunard" <mathias.gaunard@ens-lyon.org> Sent: Monday, October 06, 2008 5:50 PM To: <boost@lists.boost.org> Subject: Re: [boost] [mp_int] new release
Kevin Sopp wrote:
I made a new release of my multiprecision integer library
I personally find the words arbitrary precision or multiprecision ambiguous. I never know which one means that the numbers grow as needed and which ones means that it can work with any size, but fixed
I have this same issue. From my tests I suspect his grows arbitrarily. I would propose a name change to reflect that. I'm sure this has been discussed before. big_int seems popular if a bit crude. Assuming it is arbitrary, arbitrary_precision_int? (perhaps convenience typedefs?) I tend to prefer descriptive names to abbreviations; though I concede I may be in the minority.
I'm not a fan of that one, since LLVM has an "APInt" class which represents a fixed, but arbitrary, precision integer.
How about unbounded_int? It fits nicely with the is_bounded in numeric_limits.
So are you proposing two names: bounded_int - arbitrary but fixed (maximum?) size integer unbounded_int - grows to accommodate a size (bounded only by machine memory). As an aside, does this scale to floating-point? If we were to produce a Boost equivalent to NTL quad_float bounded_float and RR - arbitrary but fixed (default 50 decimal digits) and an unbounded Exact real, for example to unbounded_float (or unbounded_real) similar to exact real - but then exact_real would be more obvious? and bounded_float or bounded_real But then one wants to encode the real precision? float, double, quad_float, octo_float... Paul --- Paul A Bristow Prizet Farmhouse, Kendal, Cumbria UK LA8 8AB +44 1539561830 & SMS, Mobile +44 7714 330204 & SMS pbristow@hetp.u-net.com