Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!harpo!ihnp4!inuxc!pur-ee!uiucdcs!parsec!ctvax!uokvax!andree
From: andree@uokvax.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.lang
Subject: Re: Superstition in Programmers - (nf)
Message-ID: <4814@uiucdcs.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 7-Jan-84 22:51:34 EST
Article-I.D.: uiucdcs.4814
Posted: Sat Jan  7 22:51:34 1984
Date-Received: Sun, 8-Jan-84 21:22:51 EST
Lines: 23

#R:abnjh:-34800:uokvax:9000014:000:622
uokvax!andree    Jan  6 21:26:00 1984

/***** uokvax:net.lang / decvax!minow /  8:31 pm  Jan  4, 1984 */
My favorite superstition (in my own programming) is to never
use an equality test where a magnitude test could be used.

Martin Minow
decvax!minow
/* ---------- */

This is not a superstition. Consider the following:

	float	iter;
	for (iter = 0.0; iter != 1.0; iter += 0.1)
		stuff(iter) ;

On almost every computer around, this code WILL NOT TERMINATE. Something
about most floating point systems not realizing that 10 * .1 = 1. Or maybe
it has to do with the fact that you can't represent .1 in binary (or hex,
for those of you on IBM hardware).

	<mike