On Jan 29, 2010, at 8:16 AM, Jay Reeve wrote:

> FB has always allowed for bit-shifting real numbers whereby they  
> would be multiplied or divided by the appropriate (and possibly non- 
> integer) power of 2.

Interesting. I don't how FB4 did bit shifts of real numbers. Since a  
given range of real numbers ( say 1.0 to 2.0 ) has an infinite number  
of real numbers, plus computers store the number in two parts( AFAIK:  
a binary fraction and a binary exponent ), I'm not sure what to expect  
from a base 2 shift of a real number and a real-world usage isn't  
apparent to me. I'm definitely ignorant on this topic, so I'll think  
about it and wait for Robert's response.

Brian S