So I think the solution is to leave "Level 4" issues *entirely* to the
IEEE 754-2008 standard, with the exception of decorations (because the
754 standard explicitly excludes specification of integer formats).
We can give bit-level examples for both big-endian and little-endian
machines, but we should refer the reader to 754-2008 for details, and
not try a partial explanation. (The current bitstring exposition is
indeed incomplete since it doesn't mention the hidden unit bit, though
it is technically correct since it only "describes" the significand.)
For decorations, I suggest the following small-integer encoding:
ill 0
trv 4
def 8
dac 12
com 16
with a remark "This encoding permits future refinement without
disturbing the natural propagation order of the decorations,
and fits within the range of a C signed CHAR, namely 0..127."
I will now try to come up with actual text replacement for sections 14.4
and C6.2 -- the latter also needs to be cleansed of bit-string mentions,
notwithstanding my first impressions. Meanwhile I'll be monitoring your
comments. Please don't be silent; we don't have much time.
Michel.
---Sent: 2014-06-20 21:56:05 UTC