Public Comment Number PC-UK0140 ISO/IEC CD 9899 (SC22N2620) Public Comment =========================================== Date: 1998-02-25 Author: N.M Maclaren Author Affiliation: Self Postal Address: University of Cambridge, Computer Laboratory, New Museums Site, Pembroke Street, Cambridge CB3 3QG, United Kingdom E-mail Address: Telephone Number: +44 1223 334761 Fax Number: +44 1223 334679 Number of individual comments: 1 Comment 1. Category: Request for information/clarification Committee Draft subsection: 7.7 Title: What does "supported by conversion" mean? Detailed description: Paragraph 9 is thoroughly confusing. What does "supported by conversion" actually mean? Does it mean the maximum number of digits that will be produced, a limit above which a conversion will fail, or the maximum number that are guaranteed to be accurate? Paragraph 10 footnote 171 implies the last, but does not exclude either of the first two, in conjunction. And there ARE systems where printf("%.30f",1.0/3.0) produces 0.333333333333333330000000000000. I cannot suggest wording, as I do not know what the committee intends, but this facility is too vague to be useful as it stands..