Newsgroups: comp.lang.c
Path: utzoo!henry
From: henry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer)
Subject: long double
Message-ID: <1989Apr26.171042.4029@utzoo.uucp>
Organization: U of Toronto Zoology
References: <12787@haddock.ima.isc.com> <12661@lanl.gov>
Date: Wed, 26 Apr 89 17:10:42 GMT

In article <12661@lanl.gov> jlg@lanl.gov (Jim Giles) writes:
>By the way, what _is_ "long double"?  I've never seen a C compiler which
>has such a thing.  The proposed ANSI standard mentions "long double",
>but doesn't require it to be more precise than double! ...

The proposed standard also doesn't require float to be less precise than
double.  The reason is the same:  the exact set of easily-supported sizes
is machine-specific.  Providing float lets the user get at a smaller type,
IF there is one.  Providing long double lets the user get at a larger
type, IF there is one.  Some machines have all three.  Many don't.
-- 
Mars in 1980s:  USSR, 2 tries, |     Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology
2 failures; USA, 0 tries.      | uunet!attcan!utzoo!henry henry@zoo.toronto.edu