Re: [boost] Infinite precision integer draft
From: Maarten Kronenburg
To my knowledge (Aside: I think you mean by that "I am not aware of any evidence to contradict the suggestion that ...". If that is what you mean, "As far as I know ..." would be more idiomatic. Particularly as there is an English idiom "To my *certain* knowledge" which means "I know with absolute certainty that ...". N.B. Your English is already a whole heap better than my Dutch!)
the base type int does not have a +0 and a -0. So therefore I see no reason to specify this.
C++ can be implemented on a sign and magnitude machine (I believe there are still some around). On such a machine an int can be either +0 and -0. (However I'm pretty sure the standard requires that those two values compare equal)
Derivation is a part of C++, so in my opinion users must be able to derive from class integer to make an integer with special properties. I think that would be a mistake.
How would you explain to a user that whatever he/she does with integer, derivation is not an option, because the destructor does not happen to be virtual. This is what it boils down to in the end. They should use containment.
Once again I argue that an unsigned integer is an integer, and a modular integer is an integer. An unsigned int is actually a modular int with modulus 2^32. Actually the modulus is not specified. It cannot be smaller than 2^32, but it could be larger.
-- Martin Bonner Martin.Bonner@Pitechnology.com Pi Technology, Milton Hall, Ely Road, Milton, Cambridge, CB4 6WZ, ENGLAND Tel: +44 (0)1223 203894
Martin, "The question "can it have two" is useful in many cases where there is doubt." I hope you agree that an unsigned integer can never have two integers. Regards, Maarten. "Martin Bonner" <martin.bonner@pitechnology.com> wrote in message news:D997BF79D1E92C4793B7FCC04B4F90A555D1AA@pigeon.pi.local...
From: Maarten Kronenburg
To my knowledge (Aside: I think you mean by that "I am not aware of any evidence to contradict the suggestion that ...". If that is what you mean, "As far as I know ..." would be more idiomatic. Particularly as there is an English idiom "To my *certain* knowledge" which means "I know with absolute certainty that ...". N.B. Your English is already a whole heap better than my Dutch!)
the base type int does not have a +0 and a -0. So therefore I see no reason to specify this.
C++ can be implemented on a sign and magnitude machine (I believe there are still some around). On such a machine an int can be either +0 and -0. (However I'm pretty sure the standard requires that those two values compare equal)
Derivation is a part of C++, so in my opinion users must be able to derive from class integer to make an integer with special properties. I think that would be a mistake.
How would you explain to a user that whatever he/she does with integer, derivation is not an option, because the destructor does not happen to be virtual. This is what it boils down to in the end. They should use containment.
Once again I argue that an unsigned integer is an integer, and a modular integer is an integer. An unsigned int is actually a modular int with modulus 2^32. Actually the modulus is not specified. It cannot be smaller than 2^32, but it could be larger.
-- Martin Bonner Martin.Bonner@Pitechnology.com Pi Technology, Milton Hall, Ely Road, Milton, Cambridge, CB4 6WZ, ENGLAND Tel: +44 (0)1223 203894 _______________________________________________ Unsubscribe & other changes: http://lists.boost.org/mailman/listinfo.cgi/boost
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Maarten Kronenburg -
Martin Bonner