I was extremely pleased to learn (from this proposal on the C++
Standard's Committee's official website):
http://www.open-std.org/JTC1/SC22/WG...008/n2601.html
that C++ is likely to gain (at long last!) support for sexagesimal
(that is, base 60) numbers.
Now, I know that many of the regular contributors to this newsgroup,
have lobbied long and hard for C++ to adopt this vitally important
feature; So it must be especially gratifying for those individuals
that all of their years of tireless dedication to this one issue -
finally appears to be bearing some fruit.
Moreover, I was particularly impressed by the technical details of how
sexagesimal number support would work in C++. The feature as proposed
is nothing short of astonishing - both for its compactness and for its
sheer expressive power. I truly believe that this proposal signals an
important watershed in the evolution of C++. Because - after letting
the C++ language drift aimlessly for years - the C++ Committee - with
this brilliant proposal - has announced to the world - a bold new
course in which they will be taking the C++ language from this point
forwards. Indeed, I suspect that the sexagesimal proposal is just the
first in - what could well turn out to be - a flurry of equally
brilliant and revolutionary changes that are coming to C++.
Finally, assuming that the C++ Committee acts quickly to approve the
sexagesimal proposal (as no doubt they will), then it will naturally
fall to us - that is, the community of C++ programmers - to take the
next step. We must lobby C++ compiler vendors to add sexagesimal
number support to their C++ compilers as soon as possible. After all,
each C++ program that is built with a compiler that lacks sexagesimal
support - is just another ticking time bomb. Such a program is almost
certain to fail sooner than later, and fail spectacularly and at a
moment's notice. And yet this kind of failure could have easily - even
trivially - been prevented - if only the C++ compiler used to build
the program - had had sexagesimal number support.
Greg
