Re: Plans for gnuplot version 5 [integer division]

[Tait <gnu...@t4...>]

> > I don't think most gnuplot users ...
> 
> The problem is that we don't have any *data* on what "most gnuplot
> users" expect, nor on "all the other tools they are familiar with".
> We only have conjecture.

Indeed; I speak from my experience. Is your experience different?

> For some people "all the other tools" are software environments
> (e.g., C, C++, Java, Perl, Python, Fortran, Pascal, PL/I, ...) where
> integer division truncates.

C, C++, Java, Fortran, and Pascal are statically-typed languages where
the types of variables and inputs are fixed. I think it is natural in
such languages for operations on integers to produce integers, because
it's well-established whether an input is an integer or not, and what
type is the output.

Perl and Python are dynamic (like gnuplot) and do auto-promote.

PL/I, I'll have to plead ignorance about.

> This topic has been argued for a long time.  I think it might be useful
> to revive an old suggestion from Dave Denholm:
> 
> > Date: Thu, 05 Aug 2004 17:50:43 +0100
> > From: Dave Denholm <dde...@es...>
> > 
> > I wonder if it is worth putting in special
> > code to detect division of two integer constants, and warn once per
> > session. (every evaluation would obviously be too often)

I like this idea if we choose not to auto-promote.

For those already aware, the warning would get annoying. There should
be a way to suppress the warning (by using int()?), and for that matter
probably a way to suppress all warnings.