I think it would be super nice if PD could have a 32 bit integer datatype.
(I realize there would be a lot of underlying complexity)
- Some quantities are naturally reals/floats
(voltages, instantaneous sound pressure levels) - Other quantities are naturally integers
(counters, memory addresses).
IMO trying to force single-precision floats to represent numbers
which the programmer knows will always be integers, is like
banging a square peg into a round hole.
A much simpler approach would be to allow for an integer data type.
Yes, then you have to solve the problem of how you handle conversions
(connect an integer outlet to a float inlet, etc).
It would probably require a major architecture change.
I just want to throw this out there...
Perl has something Larry Wall calls "transmogrification".
In Perl, there is just a single Scalar data type, which can be
internally represented as a string, float, or integer.
The Perl interpreter tries to infer from the context whether
to represent the value as an integer or a float.
Just something to consider...
BH
--
William Huston: WilliamAHuston@gmail.com
Binghamton NY
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William Huston: WilliamAHuston@gmail.com
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