Standard Decimal Arithmetic

Can I propose that we aim to support the Standard Decimal Arithmetic,
this will allow us to make use of an extensive test suite and claim
Enterprise-Bonus-Points at the appropriate time:

http://www2.hursley.ibm.com/decimal/

Looking through the current code, I wonder why we are bothering to
have a distinction between the fractional and integer parts of each
number, to me it seems simpler to use a single string of digits with a
signed exponent as multiplying two numbers then merely requires
multiplying the digit strings and adding the exponents directly.

Alex Gough
-- 
However many ways there my be of being alive, it is certain
that there are vastly more ways of being dead.