Re: [Gretl-users] CSV and decimal point character
On Fri, 25 Nov 2011, Allin Cottrell wrote:
The point (heh) of the question is that even if a user chooses to
view output
with the decimal comma, it's arguable that he/she is better off saving CSV
data in the more portable form, with decimal point. There should be a choice,
but which should be the default?
People who have been in the gretl community for long enough to remember my
rants on this will not want to hear it one more time, so I'll say nothing
on the issue itself.
I'll just point out a related fact: before Microsoft bastardised the
concept of "Comma Separated Values", this phrase used to mean something
precise and unequivocal. But nooooooooo, CSV may now mean
"Comma-used-as-decimal-separator-while
Several-other-characters-may-be-used-as-field-separator Very-clever-huh?"
Unfortunately, I'm an atheist and I can't even take comfort in the idea of
some Microsoft genius burning in hell.
Riccardo (Jack) Lucchetti
Dipartimento di Economia
Università Politecnica delle Marche
r.lucchetti(a)univpm.it
http://www.econ.univpm.it/lucchetti