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On 6/5/2018 8:33 AM, Albert Chan wrote:
Some operation system, say Windows, use EXTENDED PRECISION by default.
(64 bits long double instead of 53 bits double)

Example, from my Win7 laptop:

Python return the correct rounded sum:
(thus *all* Python import modules also does 53-bits float rounding)

1e16 + 2.9999           # good way to test float precision setting
10000000000000002.0  # Python got the rounding right

Lua 5.4.0 (work1)  Copyright (C) 1994-2018 <tel:1994-2018> Lua.org <http://lua.org/>, PUC-Rio
string.format('%.17g\n', 1e16 + 2.9999)
10000000000000004    -- wrong, rounding in long double setting

For 53 bits double, to make same math result across platform,
maybe add this to Lua.c ? (even if not needed)

fesetenv (FE_PC53_ENV);

Wrong, Lua coders should instead strive to have a modicum level of competency in floating-point arithmetic and floating-point implementations.

If someone insist on _PERFECTION_ for their floating-point output, then IMHO the onus is on that someone to do (and maintain) the necessary tweaks (and test regime) for that purpose.

If a calculation such as "1e16 + 2.9999" is _IMPORTANT_ for a program, then the program should do checks to ensure that it has been compiled per requirements on problematic platforms.*

I really do not think suppliers of programming language implementations should be hand-holding or babysitting users who want perfection down to the very last ULP. Those users are cordially invited to do it on their own time and dime.


*Well, it's probably a defective program anyway in that it is very sensitive to digits in the ULP. More chaotic output than reliable output. Reminded me of the story of the aeronautical grad who found that his sim gave wildly different results on different chip platforms. This made his project results more or less unusable.

--
Cheers,
Kein-Hong Man (esq.)
Selangor, Malaysia