Andreas Harnack wrote:
If you think that this doesn't belong to the standard, then please allow me to ask one question: Why is there a complex number class in the standard and what does it actually do?
There are a number of fundamental differences: the operations on complex numbers provided for in the standard covers exactly the same domain of tasks as are covered by the built-in floating point types. Standardization is possible because implementing those operations for complex in a numerically stable and efficient way is relatively simple (although even that can go astray pretty rapidly), and the "best" storage format of complex numbers on the hardware has long been well understood and agreed upon. Even the class interface can be agreed upon pretty trivially, and with minimal impact on implementation flexibility. For matrices, none of that is the case. Implementing even the simplest operations efficiently (addition, inner multiplies, subtraction) and correctly is exceedingly non-trivial, and the next simplest (but much much larger) class of operations is dramatically more complicated (inverses, strides, permutations, etc) with a vastly larger set of special cases. The minimally useful set of operations that _must be in the public interface_ to be used as building blocks for more complicated user defined operations are hard to list because they are so long. Unlike complex, the interface here will have an enormous impact on the underlying implementation choices. Heck, there is even continued debate on issues so trivial as the best _memory layouts_ (column major? row major? arcane subblock storage formats?). If that doesn't sway you, then by all means, you should consider trying to define a minimal interface for what you need, and see if you can get the standards committee to bite. I think you have a very hard uphill slog ahead of you, with a nearly certain rejection at the other end, but I wish you luck :-) -- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Kevin Lynch voice: (617) 353-6025 Physics Department Fax: (617) 353-9393 Boston University office: PRB-361 590 Commonwealth Ave. e-mail: krlynch@bu.edu Boston, MA 02215 USA http://budoe.bu.edu/~krlynch -------------------------------------------------------------------------------