Jules Bean writes:
jerzy.karczmarczuk:
Somehow I do not only think that the default implementation would be good for nothing, but that putting PI into Floating as a class member, serves nobody.
Are you aware that it already is in the Floating class?
A very interesting question. What do you think: do I know it or not, in view of the preceding discussion?
This discussion is not about adding it, but about whether or not it should have a default. Are you suggesting pi should be removed from the Floating class? Then, what type would you give pi?
First, I don't care whether it is there or not. When I use it, I define a particular instance (double, a constant formal series, a constant element of some differential algebra I enjoy personally, etc. No default would help me anyway). And then, I give it the type it deserves.
Given that pi is often used with sin, as in "sin (t * pi)" it would seem very odd if pi forced that to be monomorphic:
Oh yes, everybody in the world uses in ONE program several overloaded versions of pi, of the sine function, etc. Well, perhaps not everybody, for example I don't. And I use numerics quite often. How often *you* needed simultaneously overloaded pi and trigs in such a way that a default could help you? Answer sincerely (if you wish to answer at all...) Jerzy Karczmarczuk