Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site rtp47.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!bonnie!akgua!mcnc!rti-sel!rtp47!vollum From: vollum@rtp47.UUCP (Rob Vollum) Newsgroups: net.lang Subject: Re: What language do you use for scientific programming? Message-ID: <152@rtp47.UUCP> Date: Wed, 21-Aug-85 11:42:57 EDT Article-I.D.: rtp47.152 Posted: Wed Aug 21 11:42:57 1985 Date-Received: Sat, 24-Aug-85 15:06:53 EDT References: <909@oddjob.UUCP> <163@ho95e.UUCP> Distribution: net Organization: Data General, RTP, NC Lines: 39 >> >> I've been curious for a while what scientist/engineering types on the net >> use for scientific programming. > >Well, at least use RATFOR ( a preprocessor ) or full-scale Fortran-77 instead >of generic fortran, so you can have control structures. I find the biggest >weaknesses fortran has for scientific programming are: > - no recursion - makes everything tough, especially multiple integration > - no dynamically dimensioned arrays ( though C is kind of clumsy also) > - clumsy input, though this is less important for scientific prog. >On the other hand, complex arithmetic in C is really annoying. However, >the C++ language lets you define objects like complex numbers, expontentiation, >lets you define better output routines, etc. >-- >## Bill Stewart, AT&T Bell Labs, Holmdel NJ 1-201-949-0705 ihnp4!ho95c!wcs > Let me start by saying that I don't do any "scientific programming". But I still don't know why no one but me (in a previous reply posting) has even mentioned Lisp (in particular Common Lisp, Maclisp, Zetalisp) as an option! Every objection that has been raised is handled naturally in Lisp. I'm not advocating rewritting existing code in Lisp, but for prototyping or new development, why not? Compilers for Lisp are getting good enough so that applications can run just as efficiently in Lisp as C or Fortran, with the added benefit of a robust development and debugging environment. Also, Lisp allows natural extension into arbitrary precision integer calculation and rational arithmetic. One example of a huge application written in Lisp is MACSYMA, which allows engineers to do SYMBOLIC (i.e. without annoying roundoff errors, etc) differentiation, integration, matrix manipulation, factorizations, expansions, etc. I guess that I have a follow-up question. Is Lisp totally unknown in the scientific community? -- Rob Vollum Data General Corp. Research Triangle Park, NC!mcnc!rti-sel!rtp47!vollum