>I don't know what type of application Larry's working with, but one example where long account numbers are increasingly common is the banking business.
Quite so, just look at credit card numbers - most are 16 digits to start, without a check digit or prefix that might be added for some reason. But as we agree, these should be char strings. Can't imagine anything that would require numerics with that magnitude and precision combined...
The Anonymous Bureaucrat,
and frankly, quite content not to be
a member of either major US political party.