Bug ... in Erlang

[Joe Armstrong]

> Joe Armstrong <joe@REDACTED> writes:
> >  Try typing the following:
> > 
> > 	> 1.0e309.
> > 
> >  Is this a bug?
> 
> You mean
> 
>   Eshell V5.2.3.6  (abort with ^G)
>   1> 1.0e309.
>   ** 1: illegal float **
>   1> 

This does not happen on my machine - the program just never returns
It doesn't seem to use CPU time it just *hangs* (seem's like I'm not the only
one too) - I verified that I'm using R9B-1 (latest and best TM)

> 
> Don't think it is a bug. On Solaris and Linux max double is defined as
> 
>   /usr/include/values.h:#define   MAXDOUBLE       1.79769313486231570e+308
>   /usr/include/values.h:#define   MINDOUBLE       4.94065645841246544e-324
> 

This I don't understand.  My /usr/include/values.h doesn't
define MAXDOUBLE I found this (eventually) 

#define GSL_DBL_MIN        2.2250738585072014e-308
#define GSL_DBL_MAX        1.7976931348623157e+308

in /usr/include/gsl/gsl_machine.h

This is what I also found in a document describig the format of
IEEE 754 reals. (I'm assuming that Erlang floats are actually IEEE 754 
64 bit reals) is this so???

/Joe


> kent
>