Macintosh QuickBASIC Does Not Use SANE for Floating-Point Math (36735)

SUMMARY

Microsoft QuickBASIC Version 1.00 for the Apple Macintosh does not use Standard Apple Numeric Environment (SANE). Microsoft QuickBASIC (b) uses its own IEEE standard binary floating-point routines, which are faster than using SANE. Microsoft QuickBASIC (d) uses a decimal math package that is slower but more accurate for business calculations (such as making dollars and cents add up exactly).

SANE is the set of methods that provides a basis for floating-point calculations in Apple computers. SANE meets all requirements for extended-precision, floating-point arithmetic as prescribed by the IEEE Standard 754 and ensures that all floating-point operations are performed consistently and return accurate results. This information about SANE is from the "Technical Introduction to the Macintosh Family," by Apple Computer, Inc. (Published by Addison-Wesley, 1987).