Comments on: Why Java can't do addition correctly

A detour into nerdville to explain why Java can add two positive numbers and get a negative result. And, consider it the right answer.

[tenc21]

Sanitation Truck Collision

Dude, did you flip on your roller board into the side of a garbage truck? Not only is there a whole lot of garbage out there, it's a real mess and you added to the chaos with your attempt at explaining Java addition to the "general audience."

Assuming everything you say is true, what does any of that have to do with defensive computing? How does it affect the security of my gaming machine? So, Java can't add--does that mean my scores on all of my games are wrong? Sure, computers should compute. Windows should be secure. The world should be free of terrorists.

Get real, man...and don't forget the protective headgear when riding your board into the side of a truck! [defensive boarding, rule #1]

[davidsarmstrong]

It's not Java

The problem is a 32-bit word used in integer math. I get the same results using C on Linux. If you use the java.math package BigDecimal object you get the expected answer.

[petrakovichj]

Yeah there is no point in discrediting Java here, that's why it is called a 'strongly-typed' language. The programmer is responsible for choosing the right type. And to the above comment, you can just use a 'long', you don't need to use anything from a package.