Path: utzoo!censor!geac!torsqnt!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!ucsd!ucbvax!KARRON.MED.NYU.EDU!karron
From: karron@KARRON.MED.NYU.EDU
Newsgroups: comp.sys.sgi
Subject: (none)
Message-ID: <9011201847.AA00746@karron.med.nyu.edu>
Date: 20 Nov 90 18:47:23 GMT
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Reply-To: karron%CMCL2.NYU.EDU@cunyvm.cuny.edu
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Lines: 39

I (karron@nyu.edu), said:
>|>
>|> Sgi has make a weak attempt to address this "standard" problem. There is a
>|>  cc -float flag to stop default promotion to doubles in argument/parameter
>|> lists. Just seems not to work they way I hoped in spliced code...
>|>
>
>Mr. Karron, you are mistaken.  From the cc(1) manual page:
>
>     -float
>          Cause the compiler to never promote expressions of type float to
>          type double . This option does not affect float function arguments,
>          which are always promoted to double unless function prototypes are
>          used.

I stand corrected. My choice of words, 'weak' was bad. I apologize
for sgi bashing when it is clearly not due.

I must say that for doing numerical computation,
ANSI C should have been more cooperative, but that is ancient history.

I commend sgi for attempting to correct this property in the ANSI
C behavior.

>When doing numerical computations with lots of data, the expense of all the
>floating point conversions between float and double may outweigh the benefit
>of the extra precision.  This is especially true when doing dynamic 3D
>graphics where a fast qualitative result may be a higher priority than
>quantitative accuracy.

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