Re: [Gretl-users] decimal separator bug
Allin Cottrell schrieb:
On Tue, 18 Sep 2007, Sven Schreiber wrote:
I take your point, but the "define a new variable" dialog is
essentially just a window onto a tiny script: the parser is the
same as for "genr" commands in scripts, and allowing the decimal
comma here would break other valid uses of that character (e.g.
as separator for function arguments).
The real bug here is gretl silently truncating rather than
flagging an error. But I can't replicate that. Running currrent
gretl on Linux in German, if I try executing the formula you
quoted, I get an error box:
> genr v2 = v1 / 98,
Das Symbol ',' ist ung\"ultig in diesem Kontext.
You're right, with the Sep 15 snapshot on (a different installation of)
Windows I also get this error message. So the worst part doesn't seem to
exist anymore.
I don't specifically recall doing anything that would have changed
this behaviour since the 1.6.5 release, but I suppose I must
have done -- there have been several small genr fixes.
I still think it's unfortunate that a "localized" user is forced into
inconsistent usage of decimal separators. That is confusing (I didn't
even know it before), and apparently also error-prone on gretl's part.
What worries me is that such behavior can go unnoticed. Of course bugs
can always happen, but I start to understand Jack's seemingly extreme
position of "anything else than a decimal point is evil". If it's too
difficult to manage localized settings consistently, maybe it's a
feature that should be given up?
But of course such a decision should not be rushed, I guess that would
be something for 1.7, if at all. What do others think?
-sven