Cell to_float(Char *c_addr, UCell u, Float *rp)
{
  /* convertible string := <significand>[<exponent>]
     <significand> := [<sign>]{<digits>[.<digits0>] | .<digits> }
     <exponent>    := <marker><digits0>
     <marker>      := {<e-form> | <sign-form>}
     <e-form>      := <e-char>[<sign-form>]
     <sign-form>   := { + | - }
     <e-char>      := { D | d | E | e }
  */
  Char *s = c_addr;
  Char c;
  Char *send = c_addr+u;
  UCell ndigits = 0;
  UCell ndots = 0;
  UCell edigits = 0;
  char cnum[u+3]; /* append at most "e0\0" */
  char *t=cnum;
  char *endconv;
  Float r;
  
  if (s >= send) /* treat empty string as 0e */
    goto return0;
  switch ((c=*s)) {
  case ' ':
    /* "A string of blanks should be treated as a special case
       representing zero."*/
    for (s++; s<send; )
      if (*s++ != ' ')
        goto error;
    goto return0;
  case '-':
  case '+': *t++ = c; s++; goto aftersign;
  }
  aftersign: 
  if (s >= send)
    goto exponent;
  switch (c=*s) {
  case '0' ... '9': *t++ = c; ndigits++; s++; goto aftersign;
  case '.':         *t++ = c; ndots++;   s++; goto aftersign;
  default:                                    goto exponent;
  }
 exponent:
  if (ndigits < 1 || ndots > 1)
    goto error;
  *t++ = 'E';
  if (s >= send)
    goto done;
  switch (c=*s) {
  case 'D':
  case 'd':
  case 'E':
  case 'e': s++; break;
  }
  if (s >= send)
    goto done;
  switch (c=*s) {
  case '+':
  case '-': *t++ = c; s++; break;
  }
 edigits0:
  if (s >= send)
    goto done;
  switch (c=*s) {
  case '0' ... '9': *t++ = c; s++; edigits++; goto edigits0;
  default: goto error;
  }
 done:
  if (edigits == 0)
    *t++ = '0';
  *t++ = '\0';
  assert(t-cnum <= u+3);
  r = strtod(cnum, &endconv);
  assert(*endconv == '\0');
  *rp = r;
  return -1;
 return0:
  *rp = 0.0;
  return -1;
 error:
  *rp = 0.0;
  return 0;
}
#endif