[Gretl-users] decimal separator bug

[Sven Schreiber]

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