Dave Horsfall writes:
I'd be horrified if a crypto implementation used floating point, with the implied imprecision...
The imprecision in floating point is a factor only if you choose to pay attention to it. It is possible to use floating point all day long to do what are essentially integer calculations. indeed, there have been CPUs (the CDC 6000 series come to mind) that have no integer multiply or divide instruction. Instead, one used the floating point instructions and then extracted the result (carefully) from the mantissa. Floating point isn't magic, it's just microcode. (Well, not in the CDC 6000 I guess...) | GOOD TIME FOR MOVIE - GOING ||| Mike McNally <m5@tivoli.com> | | TAKE TWA TO CAIRO. ||| Tivoli Systems, Austin, TX: | | (actual fortune cookie) ||| "Like A Little Bit of Semi-Heaven" |