gaussian rationals, transcendental functions, etc.

[Scott E. Fahlman <Fahlman@CMU-CS-C>]

If Fateman has a specific gripe or a specific proposal to make, he
should make it.  If his only proposal is that we should eliminate
complex numbers from the language until we can find a REAL mathematician
who understands this stuff, all I can say if that it is too late to
consider such a sweeping change, and will just have to muddle through
with the motley assortment of talent available on this list.  If we make
some sort of mistake this time around, we can always correct it later.

    The suggestion that numbers like #C(3/4 3.14159) be eliminated has a
    certain appeal.  Would the proposal extend to eliminating numbers like
    #C(1.0S0 1.0L0)?  

Yes.  There would be exactly as many types of complex number as there
are types of floating point, plus the type in which both halves are
rational.  The COMPLEX function and other functions that create complex
numbers would take any mixture of arguments and would do the usual
foating-point contagion at creation time.

-- Scott