Edward.Rice@p4214.f421.n109.z1.FidoNet.Org (Edward Rice) (05/31/91)
Re:
but how many times do you need a second way of representing
"zero?" And for that matter, imagine the headaches of the
chip designer who must add a second test for zero if one's
compliment arithmatic were standard.
Using such machines, it's a common practice to initialize storage to (-0) and thus leave unitialized variables detectable quite easily (using a support routine that will do a logical comparison, since clearly an arithmetic comparison will say they're the same). It's VERY useful. Regrettably, it's also slightly slower, or at least that was the reason we were given for having it taken away when the 360 came along.
As for the poor chip designer -- that's what I pay them for, and it's the utility of their product that I care about, not how much aspirin it took!
* Origin: Everyone is more or less mad on one point. Q Kipling (1:109/421.4214)