home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search
- Path: sparky!uunet!mcsun!uknet!lsl!snail
- From: snail@lsl.co.uk
- Newsgroups: comp.arch
- Subject: Re: big + little endian (was: Comparison of Alpha, MIPS ..)
- Message-ID: <1993Jan6.171242.2895@lsl.co.uk>
- Date: 6 Jan 93 17:12:42 GMT
- References: <1992Dec29.044012.1@cc.curtin.edu.au> <3623363@zl2tnm.gen.nz> <WAYNE.92Dec30093950@backbone.uucp> <markg.79.726169747@county.lmt.mn.org>
- Organization: Laser-Scan Ltd., Cambridge
- Lines: 43
-
- In article <markg.79.726169747@county.lmt.mn.org>, markg@county.lmt.mn.org (Mark Gilbert) writes:
- > In article <WAYNE.92Dec30093950@backbone.uucp> wayne@backbone.uucp (Wayne Schlitt) writes:
- >>From: wayne@backbone.uucp (Wayne Schlitt)
- > I have identified the root of this whole big-endian/little-endian debate.
- > The conflict is is between text and numbers. We read left to right. But,
- > if you were to number the digits of an integer, you would do it right to
- > left. The one's digit would be 0, the ten's digit, 1, etc.
- >
- > This should never have been the case. We adopted our number system from the
- > Arabs, and the Arabs read right to left. For them, the direction of reading
- > text and numbers is CONSISTENT. The whole problem arose because we failed
- > to reverse the numbering system when we borrowed it from the Arabs.
- >
- > I propose that we now correct this historical oversight. Let us write
- > numbers least significant digit first. The bang symbol can be used to
- > replace the decimal point, in order to distinguish little-endian numbers
- > from big-endian. The integer six hundred and fifty four should now be
- > written !456. Sixteen dollars and twenty five cents is now $ 52!61.
-
- You've just proved yourself wrong!
-
- The number six-hundred and fifty four is written 6-5-4, left to right, exactly
- the way we write. That is, I read that I have 6 hundreds before I'm interested
- in finding out how many tens or units I have. Now I may had to scan the number
- for length to work out that the 6 refers to hundreds, but that is a separate
- operation.
-
- The number !456 would be read as 4 and fifty and 6 hundred. If I were to read
- that at six hundred and fifty four, I would still have to scan the number to
- find the hundreds digit, then the tens then the units and combine this to give
- the number six hundred and fifty four.
-
- So either way, we must scan the number, just that currently we write the number
- the way we say it.
-
- Also: surely $16.25 is actually 52!61$ in your scheme?
- --
- snail@lsl.co.uk
-
- "Washing one's hands of the conflict between the powerful and the powerless
- means to side with the powerful, not to be Neutral."
- Quote by Freire.
- Poster by OXFAM.
-