Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!bbn!ileaf!io!carlos
From: carlos@io.UUCP (Carlos Smith)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Problems with trig functions and SDB
Message-ID: <566@io.UUCP>
Date: 23 Mar 88 18:53:05 GMT
References: <885@umbc3.UMD.EDU>
Reply-To: carlos@zapp.UUCP (Carlos Smith)
Distribution: na
Organization: Interleaf, Cambridge, MA
Lines: 39

In article <885@umbc3.UMD.EDU> ken@umbc3.UMD.EDU (Ken Spagnolo ) writes:
>As for SDB, I can't seem to print floats or doubles.

>I give, what's the answer?   Thanx all.
>
>Ken Spagnolo
>ken@umbc3.umd.edu
>uunet!umbc3!ken

SDB does not understand the Motorola Fast Floating Point format. I called Manx
Technical support about this problem, and it is known to them. They told me
that it is supposed to recognize the floating point format used, but that this
is not working. A fix is in the works, but when? I will post something when I
find out.

Meanwhile, I have been linking with the IEEE floating point libraries, which
SDB does understand. It is amazing how much slower they are than the FFP 
libraries. I have not experienced any of the problems with trig functions
that you report with either the FFP nor the IEEE libraries, though I have
only used sin, cos and acos. Try linking with the IEEE libraries until you are
done debugging, and then switch to the FFP libraries. This may solve some of
your other problems as well.

On the plus side, SDB is a WONDERFUL tool. Everyone should send Jim Goodnow
money for writing it, and porting it to the Amiga. It is great to be able to
just print screen structures, etc. Terrific for browsing system structures.

A question of my own about the math libraries. Does anyone know how to use
the mathtrans library? When I link with it, I get the message "No
transcendental library" or such, even if I explicitly do an openlibrary
for MathTransBase. Supposedly they are much faster than the standard IEEE
libraries. The basic arithmetic functions work, but no trig functions. I will
ask Manx about this next time I call their support line.

				Carlos
-- 
			Carlos Smith
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