From: Daniel Luz <dev@...>
Date: 2009-03-07T10:20:20+09:00
Subject: [ruby-core:22709] Re: suggestions for float

On Fri, Mar 6, 2009 at 20:52, Roger Pack <rogerdpack@gmail.com> wrote:
> I'm thinking that for now making the default string output be one s.t.
> some_float == eval("#{some_float}")
> would be good [and possibly retaining the 'human readable' through
> some other name, not even to be used with inspect, just something not
> existing].
> Thoughts?
> -=r

Again, what about something like Python's?

  >>> str(0.1)          # equivalent to Ruby's #to_s
  '0.1'
  >>> repr(0.1)         # equivalent to Ruby's #inspect
  '0.10000000000000001'
  >>> print 0.1         # print casts to string, just like Ruby's puts
  0.1
  >>> 0.1               # the interactive interpreter uses repr, like irb
  0.10000000000000001
  >>> 2.1 - 3.0
  -0.89999999999999991

Keeping #to_s behavior unchanged would break very little existing
code, and having #inspect return something that allows reconstructing
the same object is generally a very nice thing, IMO.

--
Daniel