Newsgroups: comp.lang.apl
Path: watmath!watserv2.uwaterloo.ca!torn!utcsri!rpi!uwm.edu!spool.mu.edu!umn.edu!csus.edu!sfsuvax1.sfsu.edu!emclean
From: emclean@sfsuvax1.sfsu.edu (Emmett McLean)
Subject: Representation of infinity in J v6.1 change on the VAX ULTRIX
Message-ID: <1992Dec22.035416.9499@csus.edu>
Sender: news@csus.edu
Organization: San Francisco State University
Distribution: NA
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1992 03:54:16 GMT
Lines: 31

$ 
I just installed J v6.1 on the VAX ULTRIX and see that there is
a different numeric representation for infinity. It was
1.70141e38 and now is _7.89178e28. So :

* Is this a quirk on my machine, or for the VAX in general ?
  (I see there is no executable v6.1)

* Is the new representation some how better or did it come about
  by accident ? Being smaller and negative it looks spurious.

* BTW, I v6.1 seemed to work OK on the NeXT.

$ /usr/s3/emclean/x/j
J6   Copyright (c) 1990-1992, Iverson Software Inc.  All Rights Reserved.

   % 0
1.70141e38
   _
1.70141e38
   $ j6.1
J6.1   Copyright (c) 1990-1992, Iverson Software Inc.  All Rights Reserved.

   % 0
_7.89187e28
   _
_7.89187e28

  Cheers,

  Emmett emclean@sfsuvax1.sfsu.edu
