Xref: utzoo comp.lang.fortran:4274 comp.lang.c:34497 Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sdd.hp.com!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!sol.ctr.columbia.edu!cunixf.cc.columbia.edu!shenkin From: shenkin@cunixf.cc.columbia.edu (Peter S. Shenkin) Newsgroups: comp.lang.fortran,comp.lang.c Subject: Re: Fortran vs. C for numerical work (SUMMARY) Message-ID: <1990Dec4.230222.27016@cunixf.cc.columbia.edu> Date: 4 Dec 90 23:02:22 GMT References: <1990Dec4.011220.9302@ccu.umanitoba.ca> <26434:Dec404:42:4990@kramden.acf.nyu.edu> <1990Dec4.190148.4026@ariel.unm.edu> Organization: Columbia University Lines: 24 In article <1990Dec4.190148.4026@ariel.unm.edu> john@ghostwheel.unm.edu (John Prentice) writes: >In article <26434:Dec404:42:4990@kramden.acf.nyu.edu> brnstnd@kramden.acf.nyu.edu (Dan Bernstein) writes: >>One of the great advantages of the classical Fortran numerical libraries >>is that they are so reliable that the code never has to be maintained. A >>library is a library is a library. > >I hate to do it, but I have to at least qualify this point. I have a good friend >who is in charge of maintaining the SLATEC and IMSL libraries at the Air >Force Weapons Laboratory.... >. His experience with these well worn and tested libraries is >that they quite often will not compile on new machines and will often >fail the quick checks until someone goes in and makes minor changes to the >code. Now, the changes are usually minor, more often then not it is >just a question of changing some floating point test for small numbers, etc... >However, there have also been cases where the answers are just plain >wrong.... I have had the same experience with the Harwell subroutines.... -P. ************************f*u*cn*rd*ths*u*cn*gt*a*gd*jb************************** Peter S. Shenkin, Department of Chemistry, Barnard College, New York, NY 10027 (212)854-1418 shenkin@cunixf.cc.columbia.edu(Internet) shenkin@cunixf(Bitnet) ***"In scenic New York... where the third world is only a subway ride away."*** Brought to you by Super Global Mega Corp .com