Actions
Bug #442
openNetworking float/fixed-point naming issues
Status:
New
Priority:
Normal
Assignee:
-
Category:
General
Target version:
-
Start date:
04/11/2024
Due date:
% Done:
0%
Estimated time:
Description
In the network protocol, both on the dataio layer and the delta/packets layer above it, floats are currently treated generally not as floating-point numbers, but as fixed-point numbers, which get multiplied by some factor and then transmitted as an integer; this has been the case since before either delta or dataio has been a thing. However, in the JSON dataio implementation, they are still transmitted as reals with full precision, with the precision/granularity factor being ignored. This means while they are generally called floating-point, they are usually treated as fixed-point, but not always. I consider this inconsistency bad and an error, if not in behavior, then at least in naming/documentation.
I can see a couple of options we have:- Make everything actually transmit full floating-point numbers and get rid of the extra granularity factor
- Make everything, including the JSON protocol, transmit fixed-point numbers and change the language used accordingly
- Have both floating-point and fixed-point transmission support and use each where it's more useful
- Keep the current behavior, but call it fixed-point, even though the JSON protocol still doesn't treat it that way
- Not do anything; actively decide that we consider this inconsistency acceptable
Actions