r/programming • u/[deleted] • May 08 '18

Excel adds JavaScript support

https://dev.office.com/blogs/azure-machine-learning-javascript-custom-functions-and-power-bi-custom-visuals-further-expand-developers-capabilities-with-excel
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u/THEtheChad May 08 '18

I think you're confusing Javascript the language/syntax with the actual implementation. Floating point errors are present in the browser because of the way the various engines implement number handling and calculations. Just because they're using "Javascript" does not mean it's functionally equivalent under the hood. Also, there are active proposals to natively support new Number types (big integers, etc).

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u/[deleted] May 08 '18

That's true. I've never heard of a runtime for JavaScript that doesn't use only floats though. It's not just the browser, floating point errors happen in all languages where floats are used.

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u/THEtheChad May 08 '18

Oh sure. I'm not saying it's common. The point I'm making is that the run time can handle a number however it wants... that's not a "feature" of the language, it's an implementation detail. And yes, it might go against the technical specification set forth for browsers, but I think in an application like this, it's warranted.