http://moreisdifferent.com/2015/07/16/why-physicsts-still-use-fortran/

Some good information there!

On Sunday, 15 October 2017 at 22:09:21 UTC, Walter Bright wrote:
> http://moreisdifferent.com/2015/07/16/why-physicsts-still-use-fortran/
>
> Some good information there!

A language similar to matlab when handling arrays? I recall hating the damn thing when using it for graphics programming, it certainly doesn't help when you have a terrible teacher who should have retire already.

Alex

On Sun, Oct 15, 2017 at 03:09:21PM -0700, Walter Bright via Digitalmars-d wrote:
> http://moreisdifferent.com/2015/07/16/why-physicsts-still-use-fortran/
> 
> Some good information there!

1-based array indexing...  I don't know, but I've become so accustomed to 0-based indexing that I doubt I'll ever be able to get used to a language with 1-based indexing.  Or whether D will ever be able to challenge Fortran in this respect. :P


T

-- 
Questions are the beginning of intelligence, but the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom.

On Sunday, October 15, 2017 17:26:20 H. S. Teoh via Digitalmars-d wrote:
> On Sun, Oct 15, 2017 at 03:09:21PM -0700, Walter Bright via Digitalmars-d
wrote:
> > http://moreisdifferent.com/2015/07/16/why-physicsts-still-use-fortran/
> >
> > Some good information there!
>
> 1-based array indexing...  I don't know, but I've become so accustomed to 0-based indexing that I doubt I'll ever be able to get used to a language with 1-based indexing.  Or whether D will ever be able to challenge Fortran in this respect. :P

For an algorithms class that I took in college, the book used 1-based indexing for everything, and it drove me nuts. I guess that it was written for mathematicians and not programmers.

- Jonathan M Davis

On 10/15/2017 5:26 PM, H. S. Teoh wrote:
> 1-based array indexing...  I don't know, but I've become so accustomed
> to 0-based indexing that I doubt I'll ever be able to get used to a
> language with 1-based indexing.  Or whether D will ever be able to
> challenge Fortran in this respect. :P

I don't want to even try 1 based. All my learned behaviors with arrays would just produce corrupt code.

It's why I don't dare try driving in England.

On Sunday, 15 October 2017 at 22:09:21 UTC, Walter Bright wrote:
> http://moreisdifferent.com/2015/07/16/why-physicsts-still-use-fortran/
>
> Some good information there!

The article could have mentioned the restrict annotation in C. They mention the issue indirectly because Fortran programmers don't worry about pointers compared to C programmers. The crucial issue is that Fortran guarantees one variable can't alias another by default. There are compiler optimizations from ensuring this is the case. That's the reason restrict was created for C, so that it could make the same guarantee as Fortran.

The whole 0-based vs. 1-based is a small issue. If all your doing is matrix math, then 1-based is fine (esp. for a first language), but 0-based is better for a general purpose language.

On 15 Oct. 2017 6:40 pm, "Walter Bright via Digitalmars-d" < digitalmars-d@puremagic.com> wrote:

On 10/15/2017 5:26 PM, H. S. Teoh wrote:

> 1-based array indexing...  I don't know, but I've become so accustomed to 0-based indexing that I doubt I'll ever be able to get used to a language with 1-based indexing.  Or whether D will ever be able to challenge Fortran in this respect. :P
>

I don't want to even try 1 based. All my learned behaviors with arrays would just produce corrupt code.

It's why I don't dare try driving in England.


Haha, incidentally, I've just moved to LA, and I'm failing to convince myself I won't die if I try and drive here ;) .. I'm still chickening out.

On 10/15/2017 10:09 PM, Manu wrote:
> Haha, incidentally, I've just moved to LA, and I'm failing to convince myself I won't die if I try and drive here ;) .. I'm still chickening out.

LA? Cool!

(Don't watch "To Live and Die in LA")

Or just get a used "Yank Tank" and you'll be fine.

On Monday, 16 October 2017 at 00:26:20 UTC, H. S. Teoh wrote:
> On Sun, Oct 15, 2017 at 03:09:21PM -0700, Walter Bright via Digitalmars-d wrote:
>> http://moreisdifferent.com/2015/07/16/why-physicsts-still-use-fortran/
>> 
>> Some good information there!
>
> 1-based array indexing...  I don't know, but I've become so accustomed to 0-based indexing that I doubt I'll ever be able to get used to a language with 1-based indexing.  Or whether D will ever be able to challenge Fortran in this respect. :P

Dijkstra made a good argument for zero-based:
https://www.cs.utexas.edu/users/EWD/transcriptions/EWD08xx/EWD831.html

On 15 Oct. 2017 11:50 pm, "Walter Bright via Digitalmars-d" < digitalmars-d@puremagic.com> wrote:

On 10/15/2017 10:09 PM, Manu wrote:

> Haha, incidentally, I've just moved to LA, and I'm failing to convince myself I won't die if I try and drive here ;) .. I'm still chickening out.
>

LA? Cool!

(Don't watch "To Live and Die in LA")

Or just get a used "Yank Tank" and you'll be fine.


Hah. That would violate every principle I hold ;)
And besides, I'm pretty sure I'm only allowed to have an all-electric in
Southern California!