diff --git a/CGAL_Core/include/CGAL/CORE/BigFloat.h b/CGAL_Core/include/CGAL/CORE/BigFloat.h
index c199c5d5c45..2e8ebde70e8 100644
--- a/CGAL_Core/include/CGAL/CORE/BigFloat.h
+++ b/CGAL_Core/include/CGAL/CORE/BigFloat.h
@@ -183,7 +183,7 @@ public:
   /// \name String Conversion Functions
   //@{
   /// set value from <tt>const char*</tt> (base = 10)
-  void fromString(const char* s, const extLong& p=get_static_defBigFloatInputDigits()) {
+  void fromString(const char* s, extLong p = getBigFloatInputDigits()) {
     rep->fromString(s, p);
   }
   /// convert to <tt>std::string</tt> (base = 10)
diff --git a/CGAL_Core/include/CGAL/CORE/BigFloatRep.h b/CGAL_Core/include/CGAL/CORE/BigFloatRep.h
index 43d44f86cdd..65dfbb667d7 100644
--- a/CGAL_Core/include/CGAL/CORE/BigFloatRep.h
+++ b/CGAL_Core/include/CGAL/CORE/BigFloatRep.h
@@ -148,7 +148,7 @@ private:
   std::string round(std::string inRep, long& L10, unsigned int width) const;
   DecimalOutput toDecimal(unsigned int width=get_static_defBigFloatOutputDigits(),
                           bool Scientific=false) const;
-  void fromString(const char *p, const extLong & prec = get_static_defBigFloatInputDigits());
+  void fromString(const char *p, extLong  prec = getBigFloatInputDigits());
 
   void dump() const;  //inline
   long adjustE(long E, BigInt M, long e) const;
diff --git a/CGAL_Core/include/CGAL/CORE/BigFloat_impl.h b/CGAL_Core/include/CGAL/CORE/BigFloat_impl.h
index b50bfb2eebf..34a8bb3b024 100644
--- a/CGAL_Core/include/CGAL/CORE/BigFloat_impl.h
+++ b/CGAL_Core/include/CGAL/CORE/BigFloat_impl.h
@@ -1009,7 +1009,7 @@ std::string BigFloatRep::round(std::string inRep, long& L10, unsigned int width)
 // See the file Real.cc for the differences
 
 CGAL_INLINE_FUNCTION
-void BigFloatRep :: fromString(const char *str, const extLong & prec ) {
+void BigFloatRep :: fromString(const char *str, extLong prec ) {
   // NOTE: prec defaults to get_static_defBigFloatInputDigits() (see BigFloat.h)
   // check that prec is not INFTY
   if (prec.isInfty())
diff --git a/CGAL_Core/include/CGAL/CORE/CoreDefs.h b/CGAL_Core/include/CGAL/CORE/CoreDefs.h
index 35e6b5b8151..a05da44ff3c 100644
--- a/CGAL_Core/include/CGAL/CORE/CoreDefs.h
+++ b/CGAL_Core/include/CGAL/CORE/CoreDefs.h
@@ -134,6 +134,13 @@ CGAL_GLOBAL_STATE_VAR(CGAL::cpp11::atomic<long>, defOutputDigits, get_static_def
 /** This value cannot be CORE_INFTY. */
 CGAL_GLOBAL_STATE_VAR(CGAL::cpp11::atomic<long>, defBigFloatInputDigits, 16)
 
+inline
+long
+getBigFloatInputDigits()
+{
+  return get_static_defBigFloatInputDigits();
+}
+
 /// default BigFloat Division Relative Precision
 CGAL_GLOBAL_STATE_VAR(extLong, defBFdivRelPrec, 54)
 /// default BigFloat Sqrt Absolute Precision
@@ -234,6 +241,11 @@ inline bool setProgressiveEvalFlag(bool f) {
   return oldf;
 }
 
+  inline long getInitialProgressivePrec()
+  {
+    return get_static_defInitialProgressivePrec();
+  }
+
 /// set initial bit precision for progressive evaluation:
 inline long setDefInitialProgressivePrec(long n) {
   long oldn = get_static_defInitialProgressivePrec();
diff --git a/CGAL_Core/include/CGAL/CORE/CoreDefs_impl.h b/CGAL_Core/include/CGAL/CORE/CoreDefs_impl.h
index 2bdcc096b15..6338c0a0560 100644
--- a/CGAL_Core/include/CGAL/CORE/CoreDefs_impl.h
+++ b/CGAL_Core/include/CGAL/CORE/CoreDefs_impl.h
@@ -117,7 +117,7 @@ CGAL::cpp11::atomic<long> defBigFloatOutputDigits = 10;
 
 /**  NORMALLY, we like to make this equal to defBigFloatOutputDigits
   *  8/3/01, Chee: re-introduced this parameter */
-CGAL::cpp11::atomic<long> defOutputDigits = defBigFloatOutputDigits;
+CGAL::cpp11::atomic<long> defOutputDigits = 10; // == defBigFloatOutputDigits;
 
 /** String Input Precision */
 
diff --git a/CGAL_Core/include/CGAL/CORE/ExprRep.h b/CGAL_Core/include/CGAL/CORE/ExprRep.h
index 497d8448d0f..5e5b819fce1 100644
--- a/CGAL_Core/include/CGAL/CORE/ExprRep.h
+++ b/CGAL_Core/include/CGAL/CORE/ExprRep.h
@@ -1109,7 +1109,7 @@ void AddSubRep<Operator>::computeExactFlags() {
 	//     larger than lowBound AND the defaultInitialProgressivePrec,
 	//     so that we do at least one iteration of the for-loop. So:
 	// i is the variable for iteration.
-        extLong i = core_min(get_static_defInitialProgressivePrec(), lowBound.asLong());
+        extLong i = core_min(getInitialProgressivePrec(), lowBound.asLong());
         extLong ua = lowBound.asLong() + EXTLONG_ONE;
         //   NOTE: ua is allowed to be CORE_INFTY