>> Like, in Haskell, if I want a 64-bit unsigned integer, I say "Word64".
>
> I like Ada's method better, where you say "I need an integer that ranges
> from -273 to +100. Please pick the appropriate size machine integer." Or
> "I need a float that ranges from +1E29 to -1E13 with a maximum error of
> 1E-9, please pick the appropriate floating point variable type." Saying
> the size of your answer in terms of register bits seems pretty primitive
> no matter what the language. (And less portable, if your machine isn't
> using 8-bit bytes.)

OK. But given the ability to pick the number of bits you want, you can 
implement the rest as a mere library.

>> *Everything* with GNU in the name sucks on Windows!
>
> The CLI stuff isn't too bad. Of course, it's hard to screw up something
> like md5sum.

Oh how ironic that you should pick md5sum - the one console application 
that I've struggled with to find a working Win32 version!

(Depending on which port you pick, they don't like backslashes, or won't 
handle directories at all, or maybe they just use a completely different 
set of flags to the POSIX version, or...)

>> You can (and people have) use it for things that aren't math.
>
> You mean, you can use it to apply math to apparently non-mathematical
> problems. ;-) You just described the basis of all formalisms.

Well, yeah. But I mean, you can make it grok stuff that doesn't look 
like algebra; it's flexible enough to do that.

-- 
http://blog.orphi.me.uk/
http://www.zazzle.com/MathematicalOrchid*

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