Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!rutgers!sri-spam!ames!ucbcad!ucbvax!ucsfcgl!ucsfcca!root From: root@ucsfcca.UUCP Newsgroups: comp.arch Subject: Re: Success of IEEE Floating Point Standard (IEEE 754) Message-ID: <825@cca.ucsf.edu> Date: Mon, 26-Jan-87 01:49:25 EST Article-I.D.: cca.825 Posted: Mon Jan 26 01:49:25 1987 Date-Received: Sun, 8-Feb-87 03:41:48 EST References: <760@orcisi.UUCP> <112@lmi-angel.UUCP> <172@ames.UUCP> <203@ames.UUCP> <5307@amdahl.UUCP> Organization: UCSF Computer Center Lines: 24 Keywords: IEEE754 supercomputer standards Summary: But then there are the consequences In article <5307@amdahl.UUCP>, sjl@amdahl.UUCP (Steve Langdon) writes: > > However, others > in the group had to worry about *very* fast floating point. While they saw > the appeal of many features of the IEEE standard, it is very difficult to > support in a high end machine. Scenario: Someone (mis)designs a jetliner using `very fast' floating point because it does not correctly handle an arithmetic condition which would be correctly handled by an IEEE conforming system. The liner crashes because of the defect and 300 people are killed. Consequences: The computer company is bankrupted by the judgments against it and the engineers who ignored existing standards of professional practice never work again (even after they get out of jail). Thos Sumner (thos@cca.ucsf.edu) (The I.G.) (...ucbvax!ucsfcgl!cca.ucsf!thos) When ideas fail, words come in very handy. -- Goethe (via L. Creighton) When ideas fail, computations come in very handy. -- Sumner (via USENET) #include