Section: Software

GNU MPFR

Participants : Vincent Lefèvre [correspondant] , Paul Zimmermann.

GNU MPFR is an efficient multiple-precision floating-point library with well-defined semantics (copying the good ideas from the IEEE-754 standard), in particular correct rounding in 5 rounding modes. GNU MPFR provides about 80 mathematical functions, in addition to utility functions (assignments, conversions...). Special data (Not a Number, infinities, signed zeros) are handled like in the IEEE-754 standard.

MPFR was one of the main pieces of software developed by the old SPACES team at Loria. Since late 2006, with the departure of Vincent Lefèvre to Lyon, it has become a joint project between the Caramel (formerly SPACES then CACAO) and the Arénaire project-teams. MPFR has been a GNU package since 26 January 2009. GNU MPFR 3.0.1 was released on 4 April 2011 and GNU MPFR 3.1.0 was released on 3 October 2011.

The main improvements are the generic tests in a reduced exponent range, the possibility to include the mpfr.h header file several times while still supporting optional functions, and, for the developers, the choice of the native type for the exponent (and various corrections related to these features).

URL: http://www.mpfr.org/

• ACM: D.2.2 (Software libraries), G.1.0 (Multiple precision arithmetic), G.4 (Mathematical software).

• AMS: 26-04 Real Numbers, Explicit machine computation and programs.

• APP: no longer applicable (copyright transferred to the Free Software Foundation).

• License: LGPL version 3 or later.

• Type of human computer interaction: C library, callable from C or other languages via third-party interfaces.

• OS/Middleware: any OS, as long as a C compiler is available.

• Required library or software: GMP .

• Programming language: C.

• Documentation: API in texinfo format (and other formats via conversion); algorithms are also described in a separate document.