[boomlinde]

> Does anyone have a good example of a programming problem where we _need_ signed zero? Or where it makes things significantly simpler?

Maybe when you're implementing floating point numbers in a way that's simple and widely applicable?

I'm only half joking, too, though I can't tell you what exactly having a distinct sign bit simplifies.

I can say off the bat that it is probably useful that a very small quantity that might otherwise lose enough precision to round to zero maintains its sign regardless.