Re: Why don't we accept exponential format for integers?

On 12/17/2010 07:03 PM, Robert Haas wrote:
>
>
>> If it's not a good idea to enable that functionality,
>> then it would be nice to come up with some way to make it more clear why
>> it's failing.
> I guess I'm about to show my arrogance and utter lack of sympathy for
> the common man here, but it's hard for me to imagine anyone who has
> any experience at all as a programmer seeing the message ERROR:
> invalid input syntax for integer: "1e+01" and having NO idea what the
> problem could possibly be.  I can imagine them thinking, as you said,
> that it's stupid and arbitrary, even though I don't agree with that
> myself.  But I have a hard time imagining someone looking at that
> error and not knowing what they need to do to correct it, unless they
> don't know the meaning of the word "integer".

Well, maybe. Also, giving the sort of feedback Josh seems to want 
probably would not be nearly as easy as he seems to think, ISTM.

cheers

andrew