Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!harpo!seismo!hao!cires!nbires!ut-ngp!utastro!nather From: nather@utastro.UUCP Newsgroups: net.flame Subject: Re: Flame against people who hate people who can"t spell Message-ID: <470@utastro.UUCP> Date: Thu, 14-Jul-83 11:55:13 EDT Article-I.D.: utastro.470 Posted: Thu Jul 14 11:55:13 1983 Date-Received: Fri, 15-Jul-83 16:08:28 EDT References: stolaf.1077 Lines: 25 This is probably the wrong group, but the discussion is here, so... For over 10 years the central computer at McDonald Observatory has been able to accept and correct misspelled words, so long as no ambiguity is involved. At 3:00am astronomers don't think so good and their typing skills (I hate that phrase) deterioriate. The algorithm is one I worked out when the system was installed in 1970 in an IBM 1800 (!) computer. There are undoubtedly better ones around now, since it was not very fancy, but it has worked well for a long time, and can (tactfully) re-spell "Venis" as "Venus" when it prints out the current coordinates of the planet. (Yes, it thinks *that* word is Venus, too). One amusing sidelight: astronomers who are not programmers accept this output without comment or special notice. Fortran types look puzzled, but don't pursue it. Experienced programmers are intrigued, and promptly start handing the program all sorts of things to test the limits of the algorithm and try to see how it works. I guess I'm surprised these things aren't in more common use. To work it out I just skinned through back issues of CACM, added a couple of frills of my own, and started coding. Anybody got one they're proud of? How about posting it to the net? Ed Nather ...ihnp4!kpno!nather