MATLAB: Format short difference across two machines

formatMATLAB

I have a Linux machine running 64 bit MATLAB r2010b and a Windows machine running 32 bit MATLAB r2010a. Both are set with Format short and FormatSpacing loose.
1e-3
returns 1.0000e-03 on the Linux machine and 1.0000e-003 on the Windows machine; the Windows machine has an additional zero after the "e". It is even more confusing since evalc('1e-3') returns the same size character array on both machines but the "e" is the 18th element on the Linux machine and the 17th element on the Windows machine.
While the extra zero after the "e" and the extra space in the output format doesn't matter mathematically, I have been using evalc when writing log files. My log files are turning up different on the two machines causing me headaches.
I would like to know what is causing the difference (r2010a/r2010b, 32/64 bit, Linux/Windows, or something else like screen resolution or window size) and if it has been documented.

Best Answer

In previous discussions this has been attributed to a difference in the Windows OS numeric formatting routine (i.e., as supplied by Microsoft.)
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