--- a/src/ChangeLog	Fri Apr 30 14:59:17 2004 +0000
+++ b/src/ChangeLog	Fri Apr 30 18:59:14 2004 +0000
@@ -1,3 +1,10 @@
+2004-04-30  Jerry James  <james@xemacs.org>
+
+	* number.c (vars_of_number): Fix comment.  Initialize
+	bigfloat-max-prec when it is possible to do so safely.
+	* number.c (init_number): If bigfloat-max-prec is a bignum, set it
+	only when initialized.
+
 2004-04-19  Jerry James  <james@xemacs.org>
 
 	* data.c (sign_extend_lisp_int): Use INT_VALBITS instead of

--- a/src/number.c	Fri Apr 30 14:59:17 2004 +0000
+++ b/src/number.c	Fri Apr 30 18:59:14 2004 +0000
@@ -748,8 +748,8 @@
 void
 vars_of_number (void)
 {
-  /* This variable is a Lisp variable rather than a number variable so that we
-     can put bignums in it. */
+  /* These variables are Lisp variables rather than number variables so that
+     we can put bignums in them. */
   DEFVAR_LISP_MAGIC ("default-float-precision", &Vdefault_float_precision, /*
 The default floating-point precision for newly created floating point values.
 This should be 0 for the precision of the machine-supported floating point
@@ -763,6 +763,13 @@
 This is currently the value of ULONG_MAX on the target machine.
 */);
 
+  /* See init_number for the other half of Vbigfloat_max_prec initialization */
+#if defined(HAVE_BIGFLOAT) && !defined(HAVE_BIGNUM)
+  Vbigfloat_max_prec = make_int (EMACS_INT_MAX);
+#else
+  Vbigfloat_max_prec = make_int (0);
+#endif /* HAVE_BIGFLOAT */
+
   DEFVAR_CONST_INT ("most-negative-fixnum", &Vmost_negative_fixnum /*
 The fixnum closest in value to negative infinity.
 */);
@@ -799,11 +806,6 @@
       init_number_mp ();
 #endif
 
-#if defined(BIGNUM) && defined(BIGFLOAT)
-      Vbigfloat_max_prec = make_bignum (0L);
-      bignum_set_ulong (XBIGNUM_DATA (Vbigfloat_max_prec), ULONG_MAX);
-#endif
-
 #ifdef HAVE_BIGNUM
       bignum_init (scratch_bignum);
       bignum_init (scratch_bignum2);
@@ -818,4 +820,13 @@
       bigfloat_init (scratch_bigfloat2);
 #endif
     }
+
+#if defined(HAVE_BIGFLOAT) && defined(HAVE_BIGNUM)
+  /* Avoid dumping a bignum */
+  if (initialized)
+    {
+      Vbigfloat_max_prec = make_bignum (0L);
+      bignum_set_ulong (XBIGNUM_DATA (Vbigfloat_max_prec), ULONG_MAX);
+    }
+#endif
 }