Re: Integer patch for Lua 5.1 final

[whisper@...]

Daniel Collins wrote:
> > The integer patch (assuming we're talking about the same 
> > thing) isn't a fixed-point patch, I believe; instead it makes 
> > the VM use integer maths for integer values where feasible, 
> > deferring to floating point only when necessary (i.e. 
> > non-integer operands).
>
>
> Hmm, ok. Looks like I am about to write a fixed point patch for lua
> then. 
>
>
> - DC
I recall reading that the Lua mumeric type can be changed to as little 
as a 16 bit int and Lua still works.

From the Lua-users.org wiki:
"Lua does not depend on floating point, much less double precision. It 
can be compiled with any convenient numeric type. Of course, the 
semantics of division, for example, change significantly if you compile 
Lua with an integer numeric type, but on an embedded processor that 
would probably not come as a surprise."

From the Lua 5.1 Reference Manual: "(It is easy to build Lua 
interpreters that use other internal representations for numbers, such 
as single-precision float or long integers. See file luaconf.h.)"

Dave LeBlanc
Seattle, WA USA