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From: hes@ecsvax.UUCP (Henry Schaffer)
Newsgroups: net.arch
Subject: Re: IBM 360 float architecture problems
Message-ID: <1719@ecsvax.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 21-Jul-85 19:54:13 EDT
Article-I.D.: ecsvax.1719
Posted: Sun Jul 21 19:54:13 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 23-Jul-85 05:32:56 EDT
References: <741@masscomp.UUCP>
Organization: NC State Univ.
Lines: 8

Really Re: IBM 360 exponent length
  I believe that the exponent stays the same for single, double
 (and quadruple) precision.  That's a plus in changing precisions,
but a loss in that the higher precisions could well spare a few
bits to greatly extend the range of possible magnitudes.  An extra
two bits in the exponent would increase the 10E78 to 10E300 or
so.  In the types of scientific computing I've done that would make
a substantial improvement.  --henry schaffer