[Haskell-cafe] Re: Implementing Mathematica

[Jacques Carette]

Jon Harrop wrote:
> Arbitrary precision integers are quite a performance burden and they 
> are rarely used. I would not expect a language that is trying to be 
> efficient to impose arbitrary precision integers (or floats).

Apparently you have looked inside a computer *algebra* system, one that 
does *exact* computations (i.e. on polynomials with exact coefficients, 
not floats/doubles).  Arbitrary precision integers are not a 'burden', 
they are an absolute necessity.  Algorithms on polynomials will almost 
inevitably produce 'coefficient growth'.  Even things as simple as 
sub-resultant computations (for computing extended GCDs) have this 
problem.  And this is not a fluke or a problem with state-of-the-art, 
there are known cases where this is inevitable.

Like Jerzy, I wonder why I get suckered in to these conversations.  I 
guess we both have this silly need to set the record straight.

Jacques