FreeTDS Development Group

["ZIGLIO, Frediano, VF-IT" <Frediano.Ziglio AT vodafone.com>]

> 
> On Wed, 19 May 2004, "Jose Luu" <jluu AT applia.fr> wrote:
> >  In my case, 16 digit integers were transmitted this way and I was
> >  losing the last digit (became always 0).
> >  
> > This is somehow a borderline case since only 90% of the 16 digit
> > integers can be represented using a double float. However, 
> it would make
> > the library more robust to allow for such cases.
> > Also note that the Sybase openclient library is converting 
> to 16 places.
> > 
> > In the patch below I have allowed for float8 conversion to 
> 16 places.
> 
> Thanks, Jose.  I applied your patch.  I'm not completely 
> convinced it's
> right, but it is (at least) harmless and seems to be compatible with
> Sybase's implementation.  
> 
> IIRC, double precision is good only for 15 positions.  Frediano once
> showed me how to examine the bit pattern, to know how 
> precisely a number
> can be so represented.  I'd like to be convinced that your 
> 16th position
> is significant.  
> 

Mmm...

>From printf docs:

"precision specifies the maximum number of significant digits printed"

double have 53 bits of precision (52 + 1 implicit), so it's

  log 2^53 = 15,95...

So, yes, 16 seems better...

freddy77