Re: Interesting article by Joel Spolsky: The Perils of JavaSchools

wooks wrote:
)> On current desktop CPUs, floating point math is as fast as,
)> and sometimes faster than, integer math. And it is most certainly
)> used enough not to call it an exception any more these days.
)
) Well for one you have to do seperate calculations for the mantissa and
) the exponent, then you have to offset the exponent. For 2 floating
) point arithmetic is the exception because of the problems it leads to.

Maybe you should get with the current state of desktop computing.

) http://www2.hursley.ibm.com/decimal/decifaq1.html#emphasis

This link has no direct bearing on the comparison between integer
and floating point arithmetic. A smokescreen, I guess ? Standard
troll behaviour, so not very surprising. To be successful at trolling,
you should read up more on the subject you are currently using, so as
not to make too obvious a fool of yourself.

) No just assuming that the processor will not resort to a representation
) that will lead to inaccurate, unreliable computations unnecessarily.

But still assuming. If you ask, without quantifier, how a processor
would calculate 2 + 2, then the *only* sensible answer is 'it depends'.

)> So if it *may* not matter, it's okay to not care about it ?
)
) If the people who are paying for the system are not concerned with
) floating point errors. Yes.

So now you have to pull a weird scenario out of your arse to defend your
point ? I'll take it this means you concede that the answer is 'No' in
a normal scenario.

)> I guess you don't wear a seat belt either, because you may not hit a tree ?
)
) I wear seat belts because I have to (don't see what that has to do with
) the discussion).

Sheesh. Let me spell it out for you: You wear a seat belt because it will
protect you in case of an accident. If you don't get an accident, it may
not matter that you are wearing one, so by your logic, you don't need to
wear one.

)> Let me paraphrase: "it may not matter, so let's assume it doesn't".
)
) You discriminate between the immaterial and the material so as to not
) unnecessarily complicate things.

It *may or may not be* immaterial.
You seem to be claiming it is *always* immaterial.


SaSW, Willem
--
Disclaimer: I am in no way responsible for any of the statements
made in the above text. For all I know I might be
drugged or something..
No I'm not paranoid. You all think I'm paranoid, don't you !
#EOT
.

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