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From: toma@sail.LABS.TEK.COM (Tom Almy)
Newsgroups: comp.os.msdos.programmer
Subject: Microsoft C actually does something better!
Message-ID: <8904@sail.LABS.TEK.COM>
Date: 4 Feb 91 19:02:20 GMT
Reply-To: toma@sail.LABS.TEK.COM (Tom Almy)
Organization: Tektronix, Inc., Beaverton,  OR.
Lines: 33

Microsoft C has been bad-mouthed here by myself and others over the years,
but this past weekend I discovered at least one place where it beats the
major competition -- the math library. Two cases:

Case 1: { double x=1e200; printf("%g",x*x); }
(With some compilers, the 80x87 has to have the overflow trap masked off).

Microsoft C (V6.00A): prints +inf	(correct!)
Microway NDP C-386 (V1.4e): prints -*inf** (wrong sign!?!)
Metaware High C DOS 386 (V1.62): prints infinity (correct!)
Turbo C (C++ V1.0): hangs, requiring "three fingered salute".
Zortech C (V2.18): prints 1.797693e+308

Case 2: { double x=1e50; x = sin(x); printf("%g", x);}
( matherr() function defined where available )

Microsoft: sine function causes error "Total loss of significance" (correct!)
Microway: crashes, producing register dump, executing sine function.
Metaware: with inline 80387 code, 1e50; with fp library, NaN (ok.)
Turbo C: sine function causes error "Domain" (wrong error)
Zortech C: prints garbage answer.

A test of some other language compilers produced dismal results as well.
Only Microsoft C worked.

Tom Almy
toma@sail.labs.tek.com 
Standard Disclaimers Apply

-- 
Tom Almy
toma@sail.labs.tek.com <<< Note new address
Standard Disclaimers Apply