[Scilab-users] [Scilab-Dev] algebra conventions with integer types to be discussed

[Samuel Gougeon]

Le 19/09/2018 à 11:10, Stéphane Mottelet a écrit :
> Le 19/09/2018 à 11:01, Samuel Gougeon a écrit :
>> Le 18/09/2018 à 19:26, philippe a écrit :
>>> Le 17/09/2018 à 19:03, Stéphane Mottelet a écrit :
>>>> Do I have to conclude that the implementation is currently so 
>>>> incoherent
>>>> that *nobody* uses integer types in Scilab (other than Scilab code
>>>> itself) ?
>>> it's a new feature,
>>
>> It would not be a new feature, but a change. This means that for 30 
>> years that Scilab
>> and its int8 uint8 int16 uint16 int32 uint32 datatypes exist, the 
>> current algebra is used,
>> and is used in a consistent way, even if in some aspects we may deem 
>> that this way
>> is too rough. At least, it is predictable, and manageable.
>> And so, changing the current algebra would break all codes 
>> implemented with encoded
>> integers for 30 years.
> The aim of my first message was a try to clarify this point. Where are 
> this codes ?  In scilab itself, in user codes ? To me, user codes 
> having been untouched since 10 years are not used any more...

I think that this position underestimates a lot users wish for stability 
and reproducibility.
In a lab, in a design office, or even in the text book for a lesson in 
maths or computing,
if it is not possible to get the same results when changing the Scilab 
version you use,
then many users/authors will keep using the scilab version with which 
the code/book has
been implemented/written. It does not prevent installing later versions.

Even 10 years: It is the "official" lifetime of the whole Scilab 5 
family. If we fairly assume that
the community have grown a lot with Scilab 5, it represents likely 
almost all the existing codes.
And the Scilab 5.5.2 will be still used for (10 ?) years. Killing the 
ATOMS server for 5.5.2
won't remove Scilab 5.5.2 where it is installed for existing codes, and 
won't provide time
to authors to update their existing ressources.

About Scilab 6.0 itself:
The 
"[^a-zA-Z0-9_](int8|uint8|int16|uint16|int32|uint32|int64|uint64)[^a-zA-Z0-9_]" 
pattern
gets 3876 hits in 293 *.sci *.sce and *.tst files.
Not counting the *.xml ones, nor the hardcoded *.c *.cpp *.java ones in 
which the algebra
would have to be overhauled and updated as well.

Samuel