support for long numbers

[Nicolas Goutte]

>List:       kde-core-devel
>Subject:    Re: support for long numbers
> From:       Diego Iastrubni <elcuco () kdemail ! net>
>Date:       2004-10-06 0:11:29
>Message-ID: <200410060211.29578.elcuco () kdemail ! net>
>
>
>áéåí øáéòé, 6 áàå÷èåáø 2004, 01:56, ðëúá òì éãé Nicolas Goutte:
>> No, KSpread is not related to KCalc, not even KSpread's calculator is KCalc
>> (even if it is discussed to change that for ages.)
>I read that you were implmenting some dcop information interchange between 
>kcalc and kspread... buh... too much beer...

Well, there was a new discussion about using KCalc as KSpread's calculator 
instead of the one of KSpread. But that is just the calculator, not KSpread's 
interna.

(...)

>> >>The numbers also sypport a "display". The idea is that each number can be
>> >>displayed on screen in many ways... for example in Roman numerals, Indic,
>> >>Hewrew... etc.. I have implemented Roman, Armenic, Hebrew, and
>> >> Indic/Arabic (which means every ther script based on 10 digits is damm
>> >> easy to implement, just derive as new class).
>>
>> If you mean non-European digits, there is a start of support in Qt 3.3's
>> QLocale, which is supposed to be improved in Qt4. (For KSpread, bug
>> #79862.)
>oh.,, buah... I have been looking at that code in Qt. It sucks. Really, it's 
>completele ugly, and definetly not OOP.
>
>It can only handle numerals in pure decimal, while hebrew for example, is not 
>exactly deciamal. Please also note that you cannot use QLocale to get numbers 
>in Roman. BTW, this is why I wrote this class to begin with. (I asked Lars in 
>aKademy about it, and he told me the code in Qt only changed digits, too gay 
>for me).

Ah, well, good to know the critic.

So there is not much to await from it. :-(

>> >This lib has no way of representing numbers in different ways (like mine
>> >does), and does not support munbers in different bases.
>>
>> GMP has the advantage to have a rather complete mathematical library and
>> also that somebody external is managing it. (I do not think that we have
>> many mathematicians for KDE.)
>I was thinking of adding GMP as another backend to my class. This has the 
>advantage, that if GMP is not found, you still have basic functions 
>available.

Interesting idea. It would avoid that GMP would be mandatory (because I am 
rather sure that some distributions do not really want to ship a 
scientific-oriented library.)

>> As for bases, at least some functions of GMP can use a different base, like
>> mpz_set_str and mpz_get_str
>> (Of course, that is only for integers, but it is only there were bases are
>> useful.)
>says who? 
> 0xFF.8+01 = 256.5   <- (hex+octal=decimal)
>It's not used, but it it's valid math.

I have not said that it does not exist. But its use is much reduced compared 
to integer with non-decimal bases.

>> Have a nice day!
>you meant night :)
(...)