05/10/76  Extended Precision BASIC

   BASIC is available in extended as well as single precision. Single precision
is the default. To get extended precision, invoke the use_ep_basic command with
no arguments before invoking basic or basic_system. Extended precision stays
on until the use_sp_basic command is issued.

   Single and extended precision programs should not be run at the same time
because the numeric arguments and numeric files are not compatible
The convert_numeric_file command is available for converting numeric files
from single to extended and vice versa.

   A new statement type has been added to provide a means of dynamically
controlling the number of digits in a numeric value to be printed as output.
Its syntax is:
	setdigits formula
The value expressed by formula is truncated to its integer value, and
represents the number of digits to be printed by all future PRINT statements
until another SETDIGITS statement is executed, or until the end of program
execution. The value can be 1 through 19. This statement applies only to
nonintegers. The tab spacing is adjusted to accomodate the current number
length. However, the spacing will never be less than the default.


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Historical Background

This edition of the Multics software materials and documentation is provided and donated
to Massachusetts Institute of Technology by Group BULL including BULL HN Information Systems Inc. 
as a contribution to computer science knowledge.  
This donation is made also to give evidence of the common contributions of Massachusetts Institute of Technology,
Bell Laboratories, General Electric, Honeywell Information Systems Inc., Honeywell BULL Inc., Groupe BULL
and BULL HN Information Systems Inc. to the development of this operating system. 
Multics development was initiated by Massachusetts Institute of Technology Project MAC (1963-1970),
renamed the MIT Laboratory for Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence in the mid 1970s, under the leadership
of Professor Fernando Jose Corbato. Users consider that Multics provided the best software architecture 
for managing computer hardware properly and for executing programs. Many subsequent operating systems 
incorporated Multics principles.
Multics was distributed in 1975 to 2000 by Group Bull in Europe , and in the U.S. by Bull HN Information Systems Inc., 
as successor in interest by change in name only to Honeywell Bull Inc. and Honeywell Information Systems Inc. .

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Permission to use, copy, modify, and distribute these programs and their documentation for any purpose and without
fee is hereby granted,provided that the below copyright notice and historical background appear in all copies
and that both the copyright notice and historical background and this permission notice appear in supporting
documentation, and that the names of MIT, HIS, BULL or BULL HN not be used in advertising or publicity pertaining
to distribution of the programs without specific prior written permission.
    Copyright 1972 by Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Honeywell Information Systems Inc.
    Copyright 2006 by BULL HN Information Systems Inc.
    Copyright 2006 by Bull SAS
    All Rights Reserved