Newsgroups, off-topic

[Lars T. Kyllingstad]

eles wrote:
> Hello,
> 
>  I just started using D (2.0). I have three or four questions:
> 
>  1) How to use the newsgroup link (e.g. news://news.digitalmars.com/
> digitalmars.D.learn) to read the newsgroup? Is the "news://" protocol handled
> by some program under Linux (Ubuntu, 64)? I write this using the HTTP interface
> (e.g. http://www.digitalmars.com/pnews/indexing.php?
> server=news.digitalmars.com&group=digitalmars.D) which is not very pleasant.
> COuld we, at least, have an interface like the one used by archives? (e.g.
> http://www.digitalmars.com/d/archives/digitalmars/D/
> Re_value_range_propagation_for_bitwise_OR_108807.html)? And a SEARCH button?

The news:// protocol should be handled by a news reader.  Whether one is 
started automatically depends on whether you have one installed, and 
whether your browser handles such links correctly.

I am writing this from Thunderbird, which has a very capable news reader 
built in.


>  2) What is the status of complex numbers in D2? Is stated that module
> std.complex will replace the built-in types cfloat, cdouble, creal, ifloat,
> idouble, and ireal. When and... how?

I am almost done writing a replacement for std.complex.  Some minor work 
remains, and then it will have to be reviewed/approved.  Assuming that 
goes well it shouldn't be too far away. :)


>  2a) Why the following program has the following output?
> 
>  import std.stdio;
> real x;
> ireal y;
> creal z;
> 
> int main(){
> 	x=3;
> 	y=5i;
> 	z=x+y;
> 	writefln("x=%f",x);
> 	writefln("y=%f",y);
> 	writefln("z=%f",z);
> 	return 0;
> }
> =================================
> x=3.000000
> y=5.000000
> z=3.000000+5.000000i
> 
> Since y is an ireal number, I would have expected to be written as 5.000000i,
> not 5.000000. This is even more confussing as "%f" formatting seems to handle
> well creal numbers, but not ireal ones.

The built-in complex numbers are weird in several ways.  The above will 
be addressed in the new std.complex.


>  3) When DMD for Linux will be 64-bit, too? (Now it works, with multilib).
> However, it is a nuisance to install multilib.

The D2 language, which has so far been the "experimental branch" of D 
and as such has been a rapidly moving target, is in its final stages of 
completion.  The specification has more or less been frozen, and 
currently work is being done on bringing the DMD compiler up to spec. 
When this is done (this summer, I believe) work is supposed to start on 
a 64-bit compiler.

-Lars