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From: dik@cwi.nl (Dik T. Winter)
Newsgroups: comp.arch
Subject: Re: Electrologica X8 ( Was Re: Looking for a really odd computer
Message-ID: <2353@charon.cwi.nl>
Date: 13 Oct 90 03:03:51 GMT
References: <11791@pucc.Princeton.EDU> <6924@uklirb.informatik.uni-kl.de>
Sender: news@cwi.nl
Organization: CWI, Amsterdam
Lines: 17

In article <6924@uklirb.informatik.uni-kl.de> kirchner@informatik.uni-kl.de (Reinhard Kirchner) writes:
...
 > One interesting thing: FP-numbers where stored denormalized, so integers
 > where converted by just moving to the FP akku and vice versa.
This requires some clarification.
FP numbers were stored in what was called 'standardized' format.  This
implied that the absolute value of the exponent was minimized (under the
constraint of course that no precision is lost).  I think the inventor
was Grau, but I am not sure about the spelling of his name.  The advantage
is that integers are a priory in the correct format to be used as
FP numbers (note: both integers and FP's were stored in one's complement).
The reverse is not true.  Yes, if the result of a FP operation was
integral the result was stored in the correct integer format; but not if
the result was not integral.  (And I still omit some details.)
--
dik t. winter, cwi, amsterdam, nederland
dik@cwi.nl